To End in Serenity
by Matt Silver 3k
Summary: Who says the war was over? Voldemort created one more Horcrux and sent it back in time and Harry, Ron and Hermione, the Golden Trio, travel back to destroy it, doing some good old fashioned meddling along the way. HPOFC, RWHG, RLNT, SBPC. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1 :: Enter Stage Left

Disclaimer :: All things Harry Potter are owned by JK Rowling, and it would be quite an insult to her if I were to claim them as my own wouldn't it? Here we go!

To End in Serenity

Written by MattSilver

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Rated because of coarse language, teenage drinking, violence, references to sex, sarcastic humour and slight out of character situations and personalities. You have been warned.

General Notes :: Harry, Ron and Hermione are referred to as the Golden Trio, or just the Trio. Note the capital 'T' when I refer to them. Get used to seeing that.

- Several lines and phrases from the actual books are used occasionally, mostly from the third, fourth and fifth books.

- The backstory of the war is based around some events of HBP and DH, but only basic plot things like Horcruxes and Dumbledore's death are mentioned.

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Chapter 1 of 6 :: Enter Stage Left

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June 3rd, 2004

Fourteen rows of plain brown bricks made up the wall in front of Harry Potter. The bottom three rows, a smattering of the next six, and a little of the top row were splattered with the blood of former Death Eater Theodore Nott.

Former, as in that Harry and Ron Weasley's old classmate was now glassy-eyed and cold, slowly smelling up the small townhouse he was found living/hiding in. Theo's Dark Mark was in plain sight, his uncovered arm lying ten inches away from his body. A stray curse, that Ron 'accidentally' hit the man with, caused the impromptu amputation. A few more well placed spells, and Theo was slumped against the plain brown brick wall with fourteen rows of bricks, intestines spilling out onto the floor.

The killers were a few feet away from the body, Theo's blood pooling at their feet.

"How much is he worth?" Ron asked, looking a little queasy. His partner-in-crime Harry was looking mildly uninterested, picking at the slowly drying blood on his robes.

"Ten thousand Galleons," he said simply. "He was the last one we knew of..."

Ron snorted. "Don't get all sentimental on me Harry. We don't have any alcohol here to celebrate."

Harry laughed, before looking at Nott's body. "The Americans won't be happy he isn't breathing..."

"That's their problem," Ron replied candidly. "He fought back."

Nott's body was left in the old townhouse, and the American Department of Magical Law Enforcement found it three hours later after Harry and Ron had tipped them off. The two bounty hunters would receive their money sometime later.

Harry returned to the small Memorial Room at the cottage he, Ron and Hermione Granger lived at. He spent the night counting the photographs pinned on the walls, but never got to finish his count. The Firewhisky he drank settled into his brain, and things got fuzzy. Counting aloud turned into unintelligible slurring. Things then got fuzzier and by then, he was beyond thinking about counting photos. He would pass out sometime later.

Hermione Granger would levitate his unconscious self from the Memorial Room by sunrise and dump him in his bedroom. She would make him clean the bottles he left hanging around when he awoke in the afternoon. He wouldn't start drinking until he re-entered the Memorial Room, read all the carved names, looked at the pictures again and again, and entered a well-practiced funk.

Routine, routine, routine.

Ron wasn't into drinking as much as Harry was. No, he avoided the Memorial Room and didn't face his feelings, instead he would Apparate to a canyon somewhere and fly on Harry's old Firebolt.

"Is Harry asleep?" Ron asked, carefully entering Hermione's Potions Lab. The Lab was a stark opposite of Professor Snape's old dungeons, being bright and above ground. No greasy bats seemingly lived there either.

Hermione answered with a brief nod, busy with her potions.

"All right then," Ron sighed. "The American Ministry sent us an owl. I think it's the reply to yours." He handed a small stack of parchment to his lover. She abandoned her experimental changes to a Hangover Potion and read the letter. Ron stuck around, poking at the potions and ingredients lying around.

"Nice," he said, pointing to some Hippogriff intestine, which could be crushed or diced into a number of potions. It also tasted good with noodles and oyster sauce.

"They're thanking you for Theo Nott in the first paragraph," Hermione mentioned, poring over the letter. Ron let out a noncommittal noise of indifference.

Ron's combing of the Lab lead him to a small cauldron in the corner of the room. "What are you working on in here Hermione?"

Hermione lowered her letter and actually looked at him. "I didn't want to tell either of you..." she said hesitantly. Ron's curiosity got the better of him, and he silently urged her to go on. "That's a Horcrux Killing Solution... and well..."

Hermione took a deep breath. "I've been corresponding with the American Unspeakables, and they told me something I didn't think either of you would want to hear..." Ron took a seat beside her.

"Go on Hermione."

Hermione breathed in and out again, and her chest moving up and down temporarily distracted Ron. Temporarily of course - he wasn't a hormonal teenager anymore. "It's about Serenity Valley." Ron's eyes darkened considerably. For a name like Serenity Valley, it was ironic that Voldemort died there after mass murdering an entire Muggle village.

"Serenity Valley..." Ron muttered.

"There were a lot of foreign magics during the battle between Harry and Voldemort right?" Hermione started. "A lot of magics the Unspeakables didn't understand. They spent months in Serenity Valley going over the area. They ascertained the obvious - Voldemort's ritual, the one that killed those Muggles, boosted him in magical power, but weakened his body."

Ron stopped her. "We were there, remember? Ol' Flightymort's body became easy pickings for Harry to tear to shreds. We saw it. We saw Voldemort die."

Hermione nodded sadly. "It wasn't that simple. Yes, Harry systematically destroyed Voldemort's mind and body, but there was a third aspect. The soul. Voldemort's soul wasn't fully destroyed."

Ron stood up suddenly, dislodging his chair. "That bastard isn't dead? Harry has been getting pissed in the Memorial Room, thinking he was finished with all this, and the job's not done yet? Bullshit Hermione. Your Unspeakables are just reading the magics wrong or something!"

"Didn't you think I guessed that?" Hermione retorted. "While you and Harry went off and hunted Nott, I visited the Valley and checked it all over. A bit of Voldemort's soul is still alive. Another Horcrux. That's why I started the Solution."

Ron sighed, yearning for a strong drink. "We destroyed all 7 of those things Hermione. The diary, the diadem, the cup, the snake, the locket, the ring and even Harry's bit of Voldemort's soul. You told me it was impossible for him to make another one!"

"Not unless he was super charged from killing the Muggles," a new voice entered the fray. Harry had walked in, having woken up from his alcohol-related slumber. He had heard Ron's yelling from his room, and entered the Lab a minute later.

Hermione and Ron turned to him. Harry simply frowned and looked curious more than angry. Ron thought he was still drunk, while Hermione thought he was just employing Occlumency to project aloofness. In fact, they were both right.

"He made one just as we got there," Harry theorised, walking around the room. "But where did he hide it?"

Both male heads turned to Hermione. "Like I said, the Unspeakables picked up on some odd magics. Like I said, I went to Serenity Valley. But I did the search, and did not find a Horcrux to destroy. No, what I wasn't going to tell either of you was a possibility that came up with my Unspeakable friends."

Both male faces silently told her to get on with it.

"Time travel," she said. Both wizards jumped a bit in shock. "There was an abundance of magic associated with Time Turners. By abundance, I mean that Voldemort's sacrificial killing of over a thousand people probably only just created enough power to manipulate and use that magic."

"Voldemort's soul piece went back in time!" Harry cried. So, Voldemort had killed all those people, supercharged his magic, created a Horcrux and sent it back in time, and enabled himself to slowly die at Harry's hands deliberately.

The Golden Trio let the information soak into their heads for a good ten minutes. Their musings were broken when Hermione's unattended potion exploded, and the three needed to retreat to the kitchen to nurse their violet-coloured wounds and continue thinking over the situation. Sandwiches were made and alcohol was offered.

"How?" is what Ron asked, munching on a sandwich. "How did Flightymort sent his soul piece back in time... and how far back? I mean... shouldn't have the world ended by now? I assumed that's what would happen if you messed with time..."

Harry took a long swig from his Firewhisky in response, and Hermione got a look on her face like she was studying hard for a N.E.W.T. exam.

"The Unspeakables were silent on the topic actually," Hermione said. Harry snorted. "But my own research yields the theory that Voldemort's soul bit travelling back in time created a divergence - an alternate universe... I think."

"And he's reigning supreme in that universe by now," Harry noted, finishing off the bottle. He would get another one, but he would rather be conscious for the rest of Hermione's theorising.

Hermione shrugged. "Possibly. They just told me the basics, and I had to crack open the Black Library to check over ancient theories." The House of Black's library was filled with all kinds of ancient magic texts, stolen by the family over the centuries of course.

Ron had a thought, "What can we do about it? Travel back in time to this alternate universe? Seems kinda impossible..."

"Isn't everything about our lives impossible Ron?" Harry remarked. "It's not like we have anything better to do than fully stop that bastard from ruling the world and whatnot."

Ron pouted a little. It wasn't at all effective. "You're drunk."

Hermione curbed the argument by Silencing Harry and Ron simultaneously. "Look, I will go talk to the Unspeakables, and we'll work something out. Maybe they'll figure something out, maybe they won't. Maybe we'll have to work on something ourselves, maybe we won't. Ron, I may be sending you on some book and ingredient hunting jobs. Harry, stay sober or I'm warding the Memorial Room. Feel free to have your own look around Serenity Valley, and don't do anything stupid. No more hunting Dark Wizards for a few weeks okay?" She stood up and left the room for the Lab, cancelling the Silencing Charms.

Harry abandoned the idea of getting some more Firewhisky. "She runs our lives mate," he told Ron. Ron chuckled.

"It's our Hogwarts days all over again," he remarked. He moved on to make another sandwich.

Harry grinned. "Except you're sleeping with her now." Ron dropped the pickle jar he was holding, and glared at Harry.

"You're either jealous, drunk or just a mean person," he said frostily. Harry just laughed softly in reply.

..::..--.--..::..

The Golden Trio spent three months planning and theorising. Harry stopped excessively drinking in favour of having a purpose for a while, and Hermione had Ron raid all known magical libraries for books on time travel theories and alike. The official theory was that Voldemort's soul fragment did create an alternate universe, and that universe could be accessed.

According to Hermione, there was one safe way of travelling back in time, and a dozen or so unsafe and overly dangerous ways. The safe way was using Time Turners, but they didn't go past a day at most.

An unsafe option that Ron and Harry outvoted Hermione in choosing was probably the safest of the unsafe ones. It involved sending the soul back in time, but it could be done without killing a thousand Muggles and supercharging their magical cores.

"But we have no idea if that's enough!" Hermione protested one day. "Voldemort could of sent his Horcrux back to the 70's, or even the 40's! We need to think it through."

"Hermione," Harry said seriously. "We don't know if our plan will work. We don't know if your original idea would work. However, there's a better chance of us succeeding if we go with the plan we have now. And there's less risk, I think."

Hermione conceded to Harry's point soon after. Time Turners travelled to an unknown plane of reality in order to take the occupants back in time. The idea was that the Trio could send their souls back in time (In which they would be in the unknown plane to do so), and come out the other side with bodies, instead of just being floating souls. And believe it, making a new body for the soul to occupy was a little too Dark for Harry, Ron and Hermione. Nobody wanted to look like the departed Lord Flightymort.

Their souls would travel to June, 1994. That was the night Harry and Hermione had used a Time Turner to save Snuffles from the Dementor's Kiss. While Past Harry and Past Hermione were going back in time, the souls of future Harry and Hermione would emerge on the other side, occupying their teenage bodies.

However, there was no knowing if Voldemort's soul part hadn't travelled back further before 1994. If that was the case, Harry and Hermione of the past might have not used a Time Turner to save Sirius, because Voldemort had already changed things in that alternate universe. And if that was the case, the Trio would be without bodies when they arrived in the past.

However, since Ron didn't go along for the ride in Harry and Hermione's time travel trip to save Sirius, a complication was presented. The complication was later resolved.

Harry and Hermione had devised the idea to take Ron's soul, and latch it onto one of theirs. Ron would be stuck in Harry or Hermione's body until the two could take Past Ron's body and stick Future Ron's soul inside of it (Not as Dark as creating a new body really). Harry and Hermione drew straws to decide who would house Ron's soul for some time, and Harry lost.

And, after finishing their plan, the Trio sat down for some sandwiches and Firewhisky.

Ron was rubbing his head. "This idea gives me a headache every time I think about it you guys."

Harry patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. "I know what you mean Ron. I know what you mean."

Hermione just shook her head.

..::..--.--..::..

A year later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were preparing to travel back in time.

The first part of the plan was to hide what they were doing from the Unspeakables. Technically, there was no British Ministry to stop them (Voldemort's war had its advantages after all it seemed), but they wouldn't put it past the Americans to do the job for the absent and disbanded British Ministry.

The best thing to come out of Hermione's now terminated relationship with the Unspeakables was that Voldemort's soul fragment only could of travelled back in time within the last decade and a half. So, in essence, there was a very good chance the Horcrux wouldn't appear until after Harry, Ron and Hermione showed up in 1994.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron had drained their bounty hunting money to pay off the seediest black market dealers in the rarest and volatile ingredients for the potion Hermione was brewing. Ron and Hermione's quasi-relationship was put on hold because of the latter spending most of her time doing the calculations and brewing potions.

While she brewed and calculated, the two men also mapped out ideas for when they got back into the past. With knowledge on how the Voldemort war went last time, they came up with all kinds of ideas and plans. Knowing that there was a chance they would beat Voldemort's Horcrux to arriving in the past, the plans became more specific.

"Remember you two," Harry reminded his longest and only surviving friends. "I'll throw off my Dumbledore chains and you'll support me this time." Back in their original timeline, Ron and Hermione had initially turned against Harry when he sought some independence from Dumbledore after Sirius' death. However, when the war struck, everything petty was stuck aside and friendship was slowly restored. Of course, Dumbledore dying might have helped things along.

The Trio had seen the opportunity to fix things for the better back in the past, and decided to take it. A chunk of Voldemort's soul arriving from the future would change things enough, so a little meddling and taking advantage of their knowledge wouldn't hurt.

October 31st, 2005 found Harry, Ron and Hermione standing in the grassy fields behind the cottage they had lived in since the war ended. Hermione had conjured pure marble blocks to draw several complicated runes on, Ron was preparing for his own soul removal, and Harry was enjoying one last drink as a 25-year-old.

"Ready?" Harry asked, turning to Ron. Ron nodded, and removed his clothes. Harry just looked his friend in the eye and pulled out the silver dagger in his robes. "Well... this is it."

Hermione added the finishing touches to the runes she created, before removing her own clothes. Harry made sure to look her in the eye too, as much as he didn't want to.

"I'm freezing," Ron said, shivering in the wind.

"Famous last words Ron," Harry chuckled. Hermione meanwhile began to recite some things in Latin, and the wind died abruptly. Harry removed his own clothes, and held the silver dagger over his palm. "Here we go." And he cut himself.

Ron took the same dagger and made the same wound, before taking out his wand and using a Soul Separation Spell, which involved the sacrifice of a young goat to be made possible. Hermione shoved a potion down Ron's throat, having finished her chanting. Harry took his own potion and drank it.

"_Avada Kedavra_," Harry muttered, aiming his wand at Ron. The redhead dropped to the ground, and a bright light enveloped the field. The light sped towards the open cut on Harry's hand, and dived in. Harry promptly passed out, and the field became dark again.

Hermione was the only one left conscious, so she quickly swallowed another potion, poured the contents of another vial down Harry's throat, and dragged him to the largest marble platform. She waved her wand and chanted the same Latin phrases she did before. She woke Harry up with a quick spell.

"Are we ready to go?" Harry slurred. Hermione just rolled her eyes and waited. The runes surrounding the two people (And three souls) started to glow Killing Curse green. The wind started up again a few seconds later, when two bodies collapsed to the ground, their souls vaulting back in time.

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June 1994, Hogwarts.

Harry was standing next to Hermione in the deserted Entrance Hall, and a stream of golden sunlight was falling across the paved floor from the open front doors. He placed his hands on his knees, and resisted the urge to vomit.

"I'm shorter," he muttered, looking over his body. Hermione rolled her eyes and did the same, but she didn't poke her groin area like her male friend did. "And that ride made me want to empty my body of its stomach. Like me and Ron did to Theo Nott!"

"In here!" Hermione hissed, dragging Harry to a nearby broom cupboard. She took the golden chain of the Time Turner off of his and her neck, and placed the contraption in her robes. "I hear us." She remarked, pressing an ear to the broom cupboard door.

"Ron says he's okay," Harry noted. "He's comfy up there hidden behind all my Occlumency shields." Hermione nodded.

"We're heading down to Hagrid's," she whispered. "Or, our past souls are heading down to Hagrid's still in their bodies."

"Life is cruel," Harry chuckled. "Where do we go from here?"

"Don't you remember?" Hermione hissed. "We follow our past selves to Hagrid's, let the Ministry stooges see Buckbeak, save Buckbeak, watch ourselves chase Snuffles, watch Lupin then Snape enter the Shrieking Shack, then watch Lupin transform and then we-"

Harry held a hand to her mouth. "I get it. I remember, I was there."

Hermione corrected him, "You're 'there' now Harry. We did it."

Harry's face brightened. "We did didn't we? And it seems Voldemort's Horcrux hasn't shown up yet..."

"We think," Hermione reminded him. "This is so fascinating! A little Dark, what with the stealing of our past selves' bodies, but fascinating!"

Harry chuckled, opening the broom cupboard door. "They can't complain. Let's get going."

Upon leaving the broom cupboard, Harry and Hermione Disillusioned themselves, and sped out to the tree line of the Forbidden Forest.

They glimpsed the front of Hagrid's hut when they heard a knock upon his door. The two watched as Hagrid appeared in the doorway, pale and shaking. He looked around to see who had knocked.

"It's us. We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off," Past Harry said. Current/Future Harry winced at the tone of voice. It was a big change from a future, deeper, Harry.

Hagrid let their past selves in after a quick word. The door shut behind him, and Hermione sat on the ground. Harry just looked at her.

"What?" she asked. "We're going to be here a few minutes until Buckbeak can be saved remember?"

Harry sat down, and waited. They both heard china breaking - Scabbers had made a reappearance in Hagrid's cabin. Harry and Ron had come up with several ideas involving the rat, but they would be postponed until Voldemort could be actually revived. Shame, but they didn't want to rock the boat too much.

Hermione nudged him, and pointed towards the castle. Harry spotted Dumbledore, Fudge, Macnair and the old Committee member coming down the steps. A few moments later, Hagrid's back door opened, and the two time travellers saw themselves and Ron leave the hut.

"It's OK, Beaky, it's OK..." Hagrid said to Buckbeak. Then he turned to Harry, Ron and Hermione. "Go on. Get goin'."

"Hagrid, we can't-"

"We'll tell them what really happened -"

"They can't kill him -"

Hagrid stopped his young friends' protests. "Go! It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!" Past Harry, Past Ron and Past Hemione hid themselves under the Cloak and walked off as the execution party appeared at Hagrid's front door.

"Where is the beast?" Macnair asked coldly. Current/Future Harry and Hermione fully intended to impale him on that axe of his... sometime later.

"Out - outside," Hagrid croaked. Harry and Hermione saw Macnair glance at Buckbeak with a predatory gleam in his eyes. Minister Fudge, that total moron, started talking.

"We - er - have to read you the official notice of execution, Hagrid. I'll make it quick. And then you and Macnair need to sign it. Macnair, you're supposed to listen too, that's procedure -" Macnair's face vanished from the window, and Harry and Hermione made themselves visible.

They both darted over the fence into the pumpkin patch and approached Buckbeak. Inside the hut, Fudge was talking again.

"_It is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the HIppogriff Buckbeak, hereafter called the condemned, shall be executed on the sixth of June at sundown _-"

Careful not to blink, Harry stared up at Buckbeak's eye, and bowed. The Hippogriff bowed back, and Hermione raised her wand. A quick spell later, and the ropes tying the Hippogriff down disappeared. Harry summoned a piece of meat that was lying on a rack near the pumpkin patch, and waved it in front of the Hippogriff.

"_... sentenced to execution by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner, Walden Macnair, as witnessed below. _Hagrid, you sign here..."

Using the piece of meat, Harry led Buckbeak to the tree line. Hermione redid the Disillusionment Charm on herself, Harry and the Hippogriff.

"Well, let's get this over with," said the reedy voice of the Committee member. "Hagrid, perhaps it would be better if you stayed inside -"

"No, I wan' ter be with him... I don' want' him ter be alone -"

Footsteps echoed from within the cabin. Harry took the liberty to give Buckbeak the meat, and the two humans and one beast just waited.

"One moment, please, Macnair," came Dumbledore's voice. "You need to sign too." Minutes later, the back door burst open. It was quiet for a minute, until...

"Where is it?" asked the Committee member. "Where is the beast?"

"It was tied here!" Macnair complained. "I saw it! Just here!"

"How extraordinary," Dumbledore said, amused.

"Beaky!" Hagrid cried. Macnair smashed his axe into the fence with a 'thud'. "Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, you clever boy!"

Buckbeak started to move in Hagrid's direction, but soon found himself tied to a tree. Harry quickly conjured some paper and a pen. He wrote out a quick note, and tied it to the trunk of the tree.

"How long will the Disillusionment last Hermione?" Harry asked.

Hermione did some calculating. "About twelve hours. I'll silence him for the same amount of time. Hagrid will find him in the morning." Harry's note advised that Hagrid release Buckbeak or give him a new name.

"Now what?" Harry asked. The execution party had re-entered Hagrid's cabin, having lost all sight of the Hippogriff.

"Wait there," Hermione advised. She stalked off, and Harry lost sight of her (She was invisible after all) for a few minutes. She appeared, visible, and was holding a broom.

"Two unlocking spells, a Summoning Charm, and one Memory Charm," she said proudly, handing the broom to her male companion. Harry chuckled, and the two set off towards the Whomping Willow.

They got there in time to spot Ron being dragged by Padfoot into the tunnel under the Willow.

"Look at that - I just got walloped by the tree, and so did you! This is weirder the second time," commented Harry.

The Whomping Willow was creaking and lashing out with its lower branches; they could see themselves darting here and there, trying to reach the trunk.

"Would it have killed ourselves to use our wands?" Harry asked. The tree froze, and their past selves stumbled into the passage.

The four men in Hagrid's cabin had left and were heading back to the castle. A few minutes later, Remus Lupin came sprinting down the stone steps and haring towards the Willow. Harry felt a slight burst of emotion - Lupin was a good friend, until he died of course.

The two time travellers watched Lupin seize a broken branch from the ground and prod the knot of the trunk. The tree stopped fighting, and Lupin disappeared into the tunnel beneath it. A few more minutes passed, and Hagrid came out onto the grounds, drunkenly singing. Two more minutes later, Snape ran towards the Willow, robes billowing.

"Git," Harry muttered. Snape died in the war too, after killing Dumbledore. Harry had hunted him down and murdered the man. It was his first kill, and not a pleasant memory really. Not that Snape didn't deserve to be decapitated by a _Sectumsempra _spell.

Snape grabbed the Invisibility Cloak after stopping the tree's murderous whomping, and headed into the tunnel.

"That's it," Hermione breathed. "All we have to do now is wait for Sirius to be locked in Flitwick's office..."

"Which is about two hours from now," Harry moaned. "I'm going to grab a deck of cards Hermione." Before she could realise he was being serious, he had already run into the Forbidden Forest and Apparated away.

"Great," Hermione muttered. She set up some wards around the immediate area and waited. Harry returned, holding a deck of cards.

"I went to Privet Drive," Harry told her. "I think I really freaked Dudley out when he heard the pop noise. And when something invisible stole his playing cards."

"You're going to destroy the timeline," Hermione chided. She became visible, and sat down. Harry shuffled the cards, and the two spent an hour playing Go Fish with Dudley's swimsuit model playing cards.

The cards were pocketed and Harry and Hermione became invisible again when their past selves, Sirius, Remus, Pettigrew and an unconscious Snape appeared from the Whomping Willow tunnel. Harry mused that this would probably be the last time three Maruaders were in the same area as each other. What with Wormtail on the run and Sirius dying in two years.

Ignoring the odd grouping, Harry and Hermione made their way to the Hagrid's now empty hut. They settled in, and the cards came out again. After Hermione refused to play Strip Poker, Harry had a thought.

"I better go save myself from Dementors," he said. He left the hut and headed towards the lake, feeling the familiar chill of nearby Dementors.

He became visible, and watched the other side of the lake. The Dementors began to dive-bomb his past self and Sirius. Little silvery lights lit up the dark sky; Past Harry was trying and failing to cast a Patronus. Current/Future Harry waited a few moments, before raising his wand.

"_Expecto Patronum!" _he cried. Prongs the Patronus galloped out of his wand tip and gored the Dementors. The creatures disappeared into the darkness seconds later, and Harry let his Patronus vanish.

Harry returned to Hagrid's cabin, and slumped into a chair. "Do you think Hagrid would notice if I borrowed some of his alcohol?"

Hermione tsked him. "Yes he would."

"Darn," Harry murmured. Fatigue was catching up to him. Not only had he vaulted himself 11 years into the past, but he was also carrying another soul along with his own. He was undoubtedly more tired than Hermione, who only had one soul inside of her.

He and Hermione checked their watches, and decided it was time to save Sirius. They would tell Dumbledore later that they didn't think about using Buckbeak to save him, getting Sirius a broom instead. They both doubted Hagrid or Dumbledore would piece together the advanced magic they did to achieve their feats.

The two teens flew up slowly on the old broom, headed towards the tower Sirius was stuck in.

"Which room was he in again?" Harry asked, steering the broom. Even after 15 years, Hermione was still pathetic on a broom, so she was hugging Harry's waist tightly.

Hermione pointed ahead of her, and Harry slowed down in front of the window. He and Hermione became visible again, and tapped on the window. Inside the office, Sirius' jaw dropped.

"_Alohomora_," Harry whispered, and the window sprang open.

"How?" Sirius stuttered, eying the apparently floating Harry and Hermione. They both realised their broom was still invisible.

"Magic," Harry winked. Internally, he was wondering what a blubbering mess he would of been if not for years of blocking emotional responses. "But, you've got to get out of here Sirius. Macnair's coming back with the Dementors any minute now. Jump on."

Sirius placed a hand on either side of the window-frame and heaved his head and shoulders out of it. It was very lucky he was so thin. In seconds, he managed to fling a leg over the broom, and pull himself behind Hermione. Hermione herself jumped off the broom and into the office.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked. Sirius moved up the broom a little.

Hermione pulled her wand out. "I'll be taking care of Macnair. Meet you in that broom cupboard at the Entrance Hall. Have fun." She shut the window, and Harry understood her plan. Sirius just looked confused.

"What did she mean Harry?" he asked weakly. "She'll get caught!"

Harry turned the broom and sped off to the top of the West Tower. "Hermione's more than capable. Smartest witch of our generation and all that. She knows a lot of advanced spells that could help her out in a fight."

The two landed on top of the tower. Harry slid off the broom and gave Sirius a hug. "The Disillusionment on the broom will last about ten hours. Use it to hide out anywhere. Don't get caught. I'll send you an owl or something. Stand still." He rapped Sirius on the head with his wand. The older man turned invisible, but Harry could imagine the gaping jaw look.

"Harry - that's really advanced magic," he said proudly. "You really are your father's son."

"He chose to become an Animagus at my age, and I can do Disillusionment Charms. He wins Sirius. He wins," Harry said. Sirius laughed hard.

"Thank you," he whispered, before flying off. Harry just watched him leave, before hearing a smashing noise.

He looked down at the window at Flitwick's Office. A Macnair-sized hole was shaped in the glass, and Harry could spot the man's body down on the grounds.

"He must of tripped," Harry muttered to himself. He had eight minutes get back to the Hospital Wing, and he sprinted all the way. He met up with Hermione just outside the broom cupboard they hid in earlier.

"Did you get Macnair?" he asked her. She nodded.

"The Dementors were outside the door when he entered," she told him. "He tripped out of the window after seeing Black wasn't there. I spotted Snape and Fudge head up in that direction a minute ago."

Harry nodded. He remembered last time, when Snape and Fudge came from the office and found Black missing. It was a Patronus memory to see Snape so angry.

He and Hermione silently ran back to the Hospital Wing, now visible. The door to the ward opened, and Dumbledore's back appeared.

"I am going to lock you in," they heard him saying. "It is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

Dumbledore backed out of the room, closed the door and took out his wand to magically lock it. Non-chanlantly, Harry whistled loudly.

"Oi!" he shouted. Dumbledore turned to him and Hermione, looking mildly shocked. He recovered quickly.

"Well?" he asked quietly.

Harry decided to compress things down. "Buckbeak's alive, Sirius is gone, Macnair fell out of a window." Dumbledore beamed, but looked confused at the Macnair thing.

"Well done. What was that about Macnair?" he asked. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Oh," Harry said. "We spotted him from up on the West Tower. After Sirius flew off, we saw him fall out of Flitwick's Office window."

Dumbledore just nodded. "Yes, I think you've gone, too. Get inside, I'll lock you in."

Harry and Hermione slipped inside the ward, and they were back in their own beds by the time Dumbledore locked them up. As soon as they were settling in, Madam Pomfrey appeared from her office and started fussing over them. An exhausted Harry and Hermione ate some chocolate gratefully.

However, distant voices were heard outside. "What was that?" said Madam Pomfrey in alarm. The angry voices came closer, and Harry strained his ears to listen.

"He must have Disapparated, Severus, we should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out -"

"HE DID NOT DISAPPARATE!" Snape roared. Hermione giggled despite herself. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS HAS TO SOMETHING TO DO WITH POTTER!"

"Severus - be reasonable - Harry has been locked up -"

BAM. The door of the Hospital Wing burst open.

Fudge, Snape and Dumbledore came striding in. Dumbledore was calm and somewhat amused, Fudge looked angry, and Snape looked like Uncle Vernon in tax season. Strangely purple coloured and very, very, close to heart attack anger levels.

Master Occlumens indeed.

"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" he bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Severus!" shrieked Pomfrey. Harry grinned at her. "Control yourself!"

Harry mouthed, "Control yourself Snivellus." to Snape, and the Potions Master was the only one that spotted it.

"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE! I KNOW IT!" Snape howled, pointing at Harry and Hermione. Fudge was looking flustered.

"Calm down man!" he barked. "You're talking nonsense!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!" shrieked Snape. Before he could continue, Harry spoke up.

"Uhh... Professors... the door was locked," he said. A vein popped out in Snape's forehead, and Dumbledore wisely intervened.

"That will do Severus," he said quietly. "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"

"Of course not!" Madam Pomfrey cried. "I've been with them since you left!"

"Well there you are Severus," Dumbledore said calmly. "Unless you are suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."

Snape just stood there, seething. He glanced at Fudge, who was looking shocked, and to Dumbledore, who was looking amused. He then glared at Harry, who cheekily waved. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward.

"Fellow seems quite unbalanced," said Fudge, staring after him. "I'd watch out for him, if I were you, Dumbledore."

"Oh he's not unbalanced," said Dumbledore quietly. Harry sneezed the word 'Bullshit'. "He's just suffered a severe disappointment."

"He's not the only one!" puffed Fudge. "The _Daily Prophet'_s going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he escapes out of an unlocked window! Then, a well-known and respected Ministry worker falls out of the same window! And if they get the story about the escaped Hippogriff, I'll be a laughing stock! Well... I'd better go inform the Ministry and send Walden's family some flowers..."

"And the Dementors?" Dumbledore asked. "They'll be removed from the school, I trust?"

"Oh yes, they'll have to go," said Fudge, running his fingers through his hair. "Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on an innocent boy." Harry 'sneezed' again. "... No, I'll have them packed off back to Azkaban tonight. Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance..."

"And give our students a chance to test the school's motto perhaps?" said Dumbledore, sending a swift smile at Harry and Hermione. He and Fudge left the room, and Madam Pomfrey double-locked the ward up. She disappeared into her office, and Ron started to stir.

"What happened?" he groaned. "Harry? Why are we in here? Where's Sirius? Where's Lupin? What's going on?"

Harry and Hermione shared a look. Future Ron's soul would be occupying that body this time tomorrow.

"I'll explain later," Harry told him, helping himself to some more chocolate. "Go to sleep Ron."

Ron moaned. "I'm not tired. Tell me now..."

"_Stupefy!_" Harry muttered, pointing his wand at his friend. Ron fell back into his bed, 'asleep'. Hermione giggled again, before settling back into the pillows.

..::..--.--..::..

"Hey guys, where have you been all day?" Ron asked. Harry and Hermione had escaped the Hospital Wing with liberal use of Confundus Charms, and left Ron in there until noon. With him occupied, Hermione set up some runes in the Room of Requirement, and Harry stole some Potions ingredients from Snape's stores. To add insult to injury, he also swiped a few bottles of the man's Firewhisky.

Harry had also visited Hagrid at lunchtime. The man had found Buckbeak tied to a tree, and set the Hippogriff free.

"Yeh," he had said, gazing happily at the sky. "I was relieved when I foun' 'im alive this morning. But I had teh let 'im go..." he trailed off sadly, and Harry left before Hagrid started to cry.

Rumours about Remus being a werewolf spread throughout the school, and Harry didn't regret stealing from Snape anymore. The git had loudly told Malfoy about dangerous werewolf teachers, and Lupin had apparently left the Great Hall without a word. Harry respected the man's ability to stay in control. He would've hexed Snape without hesitation.

Harry visited Lupin and got the Map and Cloak back, promising to write the older man over the summer. He also told Lupin to owl Sirius, and maybe the three of them could get together some time. Lupin agreed, and praised Harry's use of the Patronus. Harry had also told Dumbledore about Trelawney's prophecy, adding one phrase at the end.

"I wonder if she ever made any more correct predictions," he had said, eying Dumbledore. "I mean, she got one right, what else had she prophesied? I might do some research; Hermione was always telling me about the Department of Mysteries' Prophecy Hall." Dumbledore squirmed a little, before reverting back to his calm demeanour. Harry left moments later.

Now, Harry and Hermione were leading Ron to the Room of Requirement to kill the redhead. Harry had also borrowed a few of Hagrid's roosters for sacrificial purposes, and they were ambling around the Room, unaware of their fate.

"Ron, we're here to kill you," Harry said seriously, pulling his wand out. Hermione locked the door as Ron started to squirm.

"Kill me?" he squeaked. "Why would you do that? I'm a good friend right Harry? Hermione, can you help me out here?"

"Hermione," Harry turned to her. "Wasn't Pettigrew a good friend to my father? Didn't he eventually betray him?" Hermione just nodded, checking over her runes.

Ron made a small noise. "Please Harry..."

Harry just burst out laughing. "I'm kidding Ron. I know you'd never betray me!"

"Oh," Ron tittered. "So you're just joking about killing me?"

Harry sobered up immediately. "No. Sorry Ron." He held out his wand and Stunned Ron. He turned to Hermione. "Can we do this now?"

Fifteen minutes later, Harry, Ron and Hermione walked out of the Room of Requirement. Ten minutes of their time had been used to clean up the blood (Rooster and human), hide the runes and silver dagger, and let Ron get used to his new (old?) body.

"I'm so short," he moaned. Harry patted him on the shoulder sympathetically.

"We'll both grow this summer Ron. I promise."

..::..--.--..::..

As the term ended, some keen observers would notice changes in the Golden Trio of Gryffindor House. Neville Longbottom would notice that Ron and Harry were taking time to ask his advice about Herbology. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown would notice that they woke up one morning without hair, after teasing Hermione about hers. The whole school had been there when Ron 'accidentally' hexed Hermione with a Tooth-Growing Charm.

Hermione had come out of the Hospital Wing with straighter and shorter teeth than she ever had before. She had also found a spell to slowly de-frizz her hair.

Some noticed that Ron and Harry would disappear for hours and come back to Gryffindor Tower looking tired. They were exercising in the Room of Requirement, trying to gain some muscle and become better duellers in their teenage bodies. While they trained, Hermione would be taking secret passages out of the school and into Knockturn Alley. A few spells later and some money changing hands, she had the tracking charms removed from her, Harry and Ron's wands. She also picked up some less-than-legal books she owned back in the future.

Harry also decided to mess with Snape a little more than usual. He would loudly boast to Ron in Potions about winning an Order of Merlin, Second Class, for fighting off a hundred Dementors. He and Ron would also make extremely good Potions and hand them in to a shocked Snape. That didn't stop the greasy git from taking fifty points from Harry for deep breathing.

Harry's reply of "But you're breathing deeper than I am sir." had cost him another fifty points, but his classmates didn't mind. There were talks of putting that quote on T-shirts, but only if Harry got a cut of the profits.

Three days before the end of term, Harry, Ron and Hermione travelled to Serenity Valley, a small Muggle village relatively isolated from the world out on the English countryside. And in the future, it was the final battlefield between Harry and Voldemort.

Hermione had used several ward stones she picked up in Knockturn Alley (Paid for by Harry's trust fund) to monitor magical activity in the area. A few sweeps of the town confirmed that there was little to no magical activity in the town or up on the hill where Harry killed Voldemort. A few more spells showed that there hadn't been any activity ever, telling the Trio that Voldemort's Horcrux hadn't shown up at all.

"Looks nice without all the dead bodies and burned buildings," Ron commented, eating a sandwich. "Kind of place you would want to retire in, you know?"

"Retire?" Harry asked. "Wasn't Voldemort dying our retirement Ron? Merlin, we had to travel back in time 11 more years. You know, relive the war again. No retirement for me old buddy."

Hermione finished her work an hour later. "There. If there's any big magical outbursts, like a Horcrux appearing from the future, I'll know." She held up a purple coloured rock. "This will glow red and start vibrating. I'll have it on me at all times, and I'll come find you two when it happens." The plan was to contain and destroy Voldemort's Horcrux before anything bad could happen.

The Trio planned to spend the summer hunting down Horcruxes in secret. During the war, Ron had come up with a way to find other Horcruxes, by using one as a sort of 'Horcrux detector'. A few complicated spells later, and a Horcrux would start to act up if another one was nearby. Presto, and the Trio could find the Horcruxes easily in the last war. The detector had also found the piece of soul that had latched onto Harry's own. Thanks to Harry travelling back in time, the Horcrux was ousted from his past self's body.

Hermione and Ron had reclaimed the diadem Horcrux and used it to look for one in the area of Serenity Valley. They were unsuccessful, and thus, Hermione set up her ward stones.

The term ended three days after the Trio visited Serenity Valley, and they were awaiting the Hogwarts Express to pull into Platform 9 and 3/4. The last week had been quite an adjustment period for the Trio.

Seeing friends and family members that were dead was quite an odd experience, but no one drowned their memories in alcohol. All three of the time travellers made time with old friends over the week. Harry and Ron joined Fred and George in pranking the Slytherins one morning at breakfast. Hermione had spent an hour talking girl-talk to Ginny, advising the girl to not pine after Harry (For which Harry was grateful. He had had a brief thing with Ginny in his sixth year, but they ended it after it was realised they were better as friends. Friends with benefits). Harry and Hermione had also cornered Luna Lovegood, and spent three hours talking about Crumple Horned Snorcacks. That was a fun afternoon for all.

Even total gits like Percy were looked to fondly. Percy was loudly talking about NEWT's and how well he would do in them, and Ron politely listened. That was saying something, as Percy's girlfriend Penelope broke up with him after a week of boasting, to the Trio's amusement. But, total moronic gits like Malfoy, Theo Nott and Snape were not as lucky. Harry and Ron had engaged in no less than four duels with the blonde boy, and won all of them. To avoid backlash, Harry had Hermione Memory Charm Malfoy four times.

"Oh yeah," Harry exclaimed. He was in a locked and warded compartment in the Hogwarts Express with Ron and Hermione, playing Go Fish. "Dobby!" he called.

The little House Elf popped in. He was wearing that damn tea cosy, shorts, and a plain white T-shirt. "Harry Potter! Great wizard call a House Elf like Dobby! Youse are the greatest wizard Harry Potter! And Harry Potter's friends! Tall Wheezy boy and smart Grunger girl! What can Dobby do for Harry Potter today?"

Harry stopped laughing for a minute to reply. "I don't know. Grunger, Wheezy, what could I have Dobby do for me today?" he giggled.

'Grunger' glared at him, before turning to Dobby. "Dobby, how would you like to help the three of us out? We don't want you to work without pay. You are a free elf after all." On Harry's part, he was happy that Hermione wasn't going to starve herself to free the Hogwarts' elves this time around.

"Help you out Miss Grunger? Dobby would be happy to help out the greatestest Harry Potter and his greatest friends! How would youse like Dobby to help you out?" Dobby said, bouncing up and down the compartment.

'Wheezy' chuckled. "We have big plans this summer Dobby. We wouldn't want anyone else to help us but you." Dobby beamed at him.

"Indeed," Harry added. "Dobby, can you Apparate to the Lovegood Getaway for us? Check my mind for the location if you wish." Dobby looked him in the eyes, and then nodded furiously. He popped away.

Minutes later, Dobby returned with a big smile on his face. "If Dobby can assume, is you great wizards and great witch moving into the Lovegood Getaway?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes Dobby, for a price of 20 Galleons a day, we want to ask you to clean it up. Get rid of the mess and the multiplying Malevolent Floating Fungus for us. Please Dobby."

"We'll also give you socks," Harry told him, eying Dobby's single sock amusedly. He pulled the pair that was on his feet off. Hermione and Ron did the same, and handed them all to Dobby. The little elf looked like he would faint in shock.

He then burst into tears, diving for Harry. "Harry Potter is the greatestestest wizard ever! Dobby does not deserve to be in the presence of such greatness! Grunger and Wheezy are the greatest friends to the greatest wizard Harry Potter!" he bawled. Harry gently pried Dobby the Hugging Elf and sent him on his way.

"I like him," Ron said sometime later, as the card game was resumed. "He's a great laugh." In the old timeline, Dobby had died along with the other House Elves at Hogwarts, when Voldemort's people destroyed the castle.

"So, Quidditch World Cup is this summer," Hermione mentioned. She didn't care for the Quidditch part of course.

"And there'll be some Death Eaters to take care of," Harry noted. "Oh fun."

Ron snorted. "Seems kind of useless doesn't it? We're not getting paid..."

Any further complaining ended when a minute owl barrelled into the Trio's compartment, with a letter from Sirius. Harry read the near identical letter, which also mentioned that Sirius and Lupin would see Harry sometime in the summer. Ron was playing with his new owl, whom was named Pigwidgeon again.

"I hated Ginny for a long time for naming my owl that," he said, watching Pig twitter around the room. "But now, it's kind of grown on me."

..::..--.--..::..

After promising his friends that he would see them soon, Harry went off to his relatives for the first week of summer. It was a very boring week, as the Dursleys were all on a diet, and so weak from not eating, they couldn't yell at Harry that much. The only wizard in the house had sometimes taken to hexing them without them knowing, then Confunding them into thinking nothing happened.

Case in point, Dudley spending the entire day in the bathroom, then leaving and wondering why he was so hungry and what happened to the day.

Food wasn't a problem for Harry. In between cleaning the Lovegood Getaway, Dobby would pop in with meals from Hogwarts, informing Harry that everything was going smoothly. Harry had expressly told Dobby to not inform Dumbledore that he was working for the Trio, to which the elf agreed to (For another pair of socks).

The Lovegood Getaway was owned by the Lovegood's, as the name basically tells. However, the potion explosion that killed Luna's mother made the cottage uninhabitable, thanks to all kinds of potion spillage. Harry's leading theory was that a potion had caused Luna to go somewhat nutty, but he had no proof of course. It might have been that she just saw her mother die, but that's neither here nor there. Anyway, the cottage was where the Trio lived after the war, and it was abandoned and isolated enough that the Trio could temporarily take up space there again (Even with the Lovegood family still alive and kicking).

Harry planned to live there until he could visit the Burrow, but first he needed to escape Privet Drive. Using untraceable magic on his relatives had its advantages.

"You want us to what?" Uncle Vernon asked, glaring. Harry calmly took out his wand and cast several spells. The first was a mild Confundus, the second was a weak Compulsion Charm, and the third was a Stinging Hex.

"Go on holiday for a few weeks!" Harry said happily. "You deserve it Vernon. Your family deserves it! Go to Hawaii for the summer, and leave me here. I'll find somewhere to stay, trust me." The combined spells had Vernon twitch in agreement. Petunia was another problem.

"But your Headmaster told us you have to stay here for the first part of summer, for your own protection," she protested. Harry cast some stronger charms on her.

"Write a letter to my Headmaster and mention I blew up Uncle Vernon and am on the run. I don't care, you go on holiday, and I'll take care of myself."

She nodded jerkily, and went off to pack while her husband ordered plane tickets.

Harry sat up in his room, writing to his friends and Sirius. Vernon, Petunia and Dudley were still packing for their 9pm flight, the earliest they could book. He told Sirius that the relatives were fine and going on a small trip, while he told Ron and Hermione that he would be at Lovegood Getaway by night time. Their letters were charmed so that only they could read them, and sent off with Hedwig.

Harry's own possessions were packed with magic within the hour, and the waiting game begun. He ventured out into the kitchen and made a sandwich, as his 'family' just bustled around the house, getting ready.

..::..--.--..::..

"Yes Mum, I'll be back tonight okay?" Hermione promised. Mrs. Granger waved her daughter off. Hermione had told her parents that she would be at the local library all day, when in truth she would be hanging out at Lovegood Getaway with her friends.

Upon reaching a small alleyway beside the local library, Hermione Apparated away with a 'pop'. She arrived ten feet from the fixed up cottage, in the same grassy field she, Ron and Harry had performed the ritual to send themselves back in time.

"Hey Hermione," Harry greeted, sitting on the floor in the kitchen. "Dobby hasn't got any new furniture yet, so sit down. Ron's taking a leak."

"Lovely," she replied, sitting down. "You look healthy-ish."

Harry smiled. "I used Dobby. Got some food from Hogwarts. And I'm going through a growth spurt!" he finished excitedly. Ron entered the room at that moment, and sat down beside his friends.

"Hey Her-mi-ninny," he greeted, butchering her name for amusement purposes. "Did you get away okay?"

Hermione nodded. "Mum and Dad are surprisingly gullible. I forgot about that." Mr and Mrs Granger were a little gullible. By all means, they let their daughter go to a school where she almost died yearly, and she was target of a lot of racial slurs. Gullible with a capital 'G'.

Ron shook his head. "Opposite of my Mum. I had to convince her I was doing homework. Then I had to ward my room with Repelling Charms to get her to bugger off."

"Completely different than my parents. They're dead," Harry deadpanned. He turned to Hermione. "Got the diadem?" She produced it from her book bag. "Let's go get lunch."

The Trio popped into Little Hangleton for a quick bite to eat at one of the town's pubs. The quaint little town neighboured the shack where the ring Horcrux would be found. After lunch, Hermione did the spells to ascertain if the ring was in the shack or not.

"It's there," she announced. The diadem floating in front of her (Since touching it meant slow and painful death) was vibrating and glowing a murky green colour. Dark smoke was issuing from it, attracting a little attention from nosy Muggles.

After taking care of the Muggles who saw the dark smoke, the Trio entered the booby-trapped shack.

"It's just on the floor," said Harry. "But it's loaded with Dark Compulsion Charms. Whatever you do, don't touch it." Ron and Hermione nodded, remembering Dumbledore's blackened hand.

"Okay," started Hermione. "The rune that locks the Compulsion Charm in place is under the shack. Ron, Harry, blow the floor up." The boys did so, leaving a dark hole in the middle of the shack.

"_Lumos_," Ron muttered, peering into the hole. "Fuck. There's snakes. Lots of snakes." Indeed, the hole was filled with small snakes, all as poisonous as listening to Vogon poetry was. "Harry, do your thing." Harry concentrated hard and spoke into the hole.

"_Give me the rune_," he hissed. Beside him, Ron shuddered.

"That gives me the creeps," he claimed. The snakes inside the hole were moving wildly, and the Trio could spot a small rune-stone.

"No less creepy than hearing you and Hermione go at it," Harry retorted. "I mean, seriously! They don't make Silencing Charms strong enough!" In response, Hermione and Ron whacked him in the back of the head.

The snakes in the hole were lifting the rune upwards at a slow pace, and Ron was getting bored. He paced the shack a little, before hearing a little voice call to him.

He headed towards the ring, and his brain was overwhelmed. He slowly reached out to touch the ring, to put it on. However, Hermione noticed.

"_Diffindo!" _she cried. Ron's fingers severed off and flew to the other side of the shack. "RON!"

"Shit!" Ron cursed. He stopped trying to put on the ring and looked at his hand. "Ow. Hermione, that hurt."

Hermione rolled her eyes and picked up his fingers. "You'll get these back when we leave." She pocketed them.

"Got it!" Harry exclaimed. The largest snake was holding the rune in its mouth. Harry carefully extracted it, and tossed the stone to Hermione.

"Thanks," she told him, before carefully removing the magic poured into the stone and storing it in a piece of wood. Without no rune on the wood, the magic couldn't be contained and dissipated. "Grab the ring, burn the snakes. Let's leave."

Harry sent some blue-coloured flames into the snake pit, covered it up with conjured lead, and gestured to the 6-fingered Ron.

"Right," Fingerless Ron said. He levitated the ring and placed it in the pre-prepared magic suppressing steel box. Before closing the box, he duplicated the ring and placed the soulless imitation where the ring was. Harry, meanwhile, placed the floor of the shack back over the lead block that was blocking the snake pit.

"We're done here." With that, Hermione reattached Ron's fingers, and the Trio Apparated back home.

..::..--.--..::..

The next two weeks passed rather quickly. To Harry's disappointment, Sirius and Remus were unable to set up a meeting, being that Dumbledore advised them not to. The manipulative old coot had told them that Harry didn't have time, and couldn't leave Privet Drive. Harry had sent a strongly worded letter to Sirius and Remus, telling them that it was probably bullshit what the Headmaster advised.

It was rather funny that Dumbledore hadn't realised No. 4 Privet Drive had been empty for two weeks. But, there was no war going on, so he didn't have Harry under extremely close watch. For his own good of course.

Hermione and Ron had visited the Lovegood Getaway daily. The cottage was now under Fidellius Charm, with Ron as Secret Keeper. Dobby had stocked the place up with food and furniture, and was under the Trio's full employ for the time being. The Trio alternated between just relaxing and Horcrux Hunting.

The locket was found in Grimmauld Place, as it had been last time. The house was well warded, but Sirius mentioned a back door back in the past, and the Trio used that back door to get inside and reclaim the locket and several books. What was a challenge was that there were all kinds of Dark creatures festering inside the old Black Manor. Ron had refused to enter until Harry and Hermione had taken care of the giant spiders that lived throughout the house.

Kreacher, that old insane House Elf everyone loathes, played an impromptu game of Russian Roulette with Harry, Ron and a protesting Hermione. The version of this game was that Harry, Ron, Kreacher and Hermione would sit in a circle, and Harry's wand would start to spin. Whoever got the business end of it got a Killing Curse to the face.

What little knowledge of Wandless Magic Harry had, he managed to have the wand point at Kreacher. Ron opted to give Kreacher a ten second head start, and the old elf only made it halfway up the stairs when Harry wandlessly Trip Jinxed him. A quick Reducto killed the elf.

Hermione was admittedly a little miffled. Out of the three of them, she wasn't fully okay with killing the enemy, regardless of what they've done. Ron and Harry adapted their hate of Death Eaters into killing them for money back in the future, but Hermione never joined them. So as such, she didn't approve of killing Kreacher.

"Hermione, did you forget the day when that little snot got Sirius killed?" Harry argued. Her expression soured. "How about when he bled out Buckbeak? Or when he poisoned Hestia Jones? Come on, he deserved it." She didn't argue further, but protested to the rigged ten second head start in theory. Harry also didn't mention that she killed Macnair, so her point of being against killing was rather moot.

After the locket came Hufflepuff's cup. Short of breaking into Gringotts again, there was no claiming it. However, a few loopholes and some dead Lestranges could help the Trio claim it. They decided to leave it be for the time being.

Last but not least was Nagini. The little snake was going to be killed on the night Voldemort would be revived. The kinks of the Trio's plan were still being worked out, but it was progressing at a snail's pace.

Hermione had finished brewing a Horcrux Killing Solution (Two pints of basilisk venom, ten Manticore hairs, a litre of unicorn blood and some other easy to get ingredients), and the locket and ring were no more. The diadem would be kept for locating Voldemort's other Horcruxes.

As July started to end, Harry was preparing to leave the Lovegood Getaway and head to the Burrow, as was Hermione. She and Ron were spending more time at home because of suspicious parents (And in Ron's case, siblings). One day, Harry woke up to find two notes from his friends.

Ron's note told him that he couldn't make it, and Hermione's said the same. So, left to his own devices, Harry decided to visit Sirius. Unbeknownst to his on-the-run godfather, Harry had planted a Tracking Charm on the broom Snuffles left on. So, with that in mind, Harry activated the charm and found his godfather.

Sirius' broom was in a dank cave somewhere in Scotland, Harry didn't know the specific area. When Harry popped into the cave, he found a large black dog cleaning itself.

"I heard prison changes a man," Harry started. Padfoot stopped his licking and turned. "But Merlin Sirius, you don't have to pleasure yourself in dog form!"

"HARRY!" Sirius shouted, turning back into a man. He ran up and hugged his godson. "Merlin. You scared the living daylights out of me!"

"Hi Sirius," Harry greeted, disengaging himself from the hug. "How are things?"

"Fine Harry," Sirius replied. "Wait a minute, it's finally happened. I've lost my mind. First I saw James telling me I forgot to hand in McGonagall's homework, and now my godson tracked me down to this fucking cave and made a joke about self love."

"Fifty-fifty Sirius," Harry said cautiously. "No James, just me. I planted a Tracker on your broomstick. Thought I'd visit you."

"What?" Sirius barked. "How did you activate the charm? How did you get here? I'm in Scotland!"

Harry decided to go into a knee-jerk lying mode. "I Flooed here Sirius. My close friend Ernie MacMillan's family owns a Demiguise ranch up around here. I went to his place and flew here. It took about an hour."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Where's your broom? How did you get access to a Floo?"

"Broom's just outside, invisible. I Flooed from the Leaky Cauldron, took the Knight Bus to get there. What can I say? I was bored."

"Oh," said Sirius softly. "How are your holidays going Harry?"

"Fine, fine. Sit down you old dog, let's chat." Harry called Dobby in a few minutes later, and the elf brought in a pilfered feast from the kitchens at Hogwarts. Harry and Sirius ate and drank for four hours or so, talking about Harry's Hogwarts life, and some of Sirius' Hogwarts experiences.

"And then I said: 'Professor McGonagall! If I admitted to vanishing Snape's underwear, wouldn't I get in more trouble than if I didn't admit it?' And her lips twitched. You gotta believe me, Harry. They twitched," Sirius finished his story to a laughing Harry. Sirius joined in, and signalled Harry for his favourite Snape story.

"It started the night you escaped Hogwarts," Harry told him. "Snape was all angry and such, yelling that I escaped the warded Hospital Wing and saved you. Which I did, but I didn't tell him that. Anyway, he was pissed because he lost a chance at getting an Order of Merlin right? In my next class with the git, I spent the lesson telling Ron I was in line for my own Order of Merlin for fighting off Dementors." Sirius burst out laughing, and didn't stop for some time.

"Merlin Harry," he hiccuped. "My hat's off to you kid."

"Thank you," Harry laughed. "Your story has more substance though."

Sirius waved it off. Night was falling outside. "You better get home," he said.

"Overprotective much?" Harry asked. He was smiling though, and gestured to the food beside him. "This is all yours. Try to make it last for a while. I'll come see you again when I'm at the Burrow. I promise."

Sirius hugged his godson. "Thank you James." Harry raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

..::..--.--..::..

"Thank you for riding the Knight Bus, 'ave a nice day." Harry waltzed off the violently violet triple-decker magic bus, dragging his trunk. The Knight Bus disappeared with a noisy bang, and Harry started cursing to himself.

"Oh yes, drop me off at the bottom of a freaking hill," he muttered. He whipped out his wand and levitated his trunk alongside him. Teen and trunk scaled the grassy hill overlooking the Weasley family orchard.

"Need some help mate?" Ron asked, waiting at the top of the hill. Harry glared at him. "Hermione's down at the Burrow, chatting with Ginny, so I thought I'd come wait here for you to arrive."

"Appreciate it," Harry said. He flicked his wand, and an extremely heavy trunk hurtled in Ron's direction. The redhead pulled his own wand out and deflected it, banishing it down the other side of the hill.

"Whoops," he said. Harry and Ron retrieved the trunk and walked back to the Burrow, running into Fred and George on the way.

"Hello brother of mine," said Fred. "Harry."

"Gred. Forge," Harry nodded to each twin. "What are you doing all the way out here kiddies?"

"Nosy nosy," George chided.

Fred answered anyway. "Testing products in the village. Fritz Fawcett has been following us around, Obliviating the Muggles after the testing." Fritz's family was one of four wizarding families in the area, and the seventeen-year-old was on the twins' payroll.

"Genius," muttered Harry. "How goes it?"

George glanced at his twin. "Never you mind Harry my boy, never you mind."

Harry shrugged, opening the back door of the Burrow. "Okay then. I was thinking I loan you guys some money to help with the joke shop, but if you don't want me minding, I'll go buy some Zonko's products." Ron's laughter followed him inside, where Hermione and Ginny were sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hello Harry," Hermione greeted. "You're looking healthy."

Harry chuckled, dropping his trunk. "Can't you greet me any other way Hermione? Yes, I am rested and I have eaten. Happy?" In fact, Hermione had brewed some nutritional potions for Harry to gain a less malnourished look. Combined with some resized clothes, Harry did indeed look healthier.

"Hi Harry," Ginny said, reddening. Harry assumed she was checking him out or something. Ego and all that.

"Ginny."

"Come on Harry, let's get that damn trunk of yours upstairs," Ron mentioned, kicking Harry's trunk. Harry dragged it up the stairs, and Ron and Hermione followed.

"World Cup in a week," Ron reminded them. "Think we should lay bets down now?"

Harry snickered. "Fine. We'll put massive amounts of my fortune on the fact Ireland will win by Krum will catch the Snitch."

"Cool," Ron said. "We might need the money too." Harry wouldn't get access to Sirius' money, being that his godfather was still alive, or the Potter Family Vault, being that he could only get in when he turned 17.

The rest of the week passed to no real excitement. There was a brief celebration for Harry's birthday, Quidditch was played, and Harry placed a bet with an Irish banker, who would pay Harry back in illegally earned Muggle money. The funny part was that the banker would lose nothing if Harry lost or won the bet. He would simply steal from the Muggles, so the joke was on them.

Harry didn't get to visit Sirius, but he, Ron and Hermione managed to visit the Lovegood Getaway and practice duelling. Hermione was the most out of practice, since Harry and Ron had started again back at Hogwarts.

The morning of the World Cup started pretty much the same as last time.

"Come on Harry, wake up." Mrs Weasley was shaking Harry awake very early in the morning. Harry was immensely grateful she woke him up, and not any of his friends. He did not need icy cold water in the face thank you very much.

Half an hour later, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George and Arthur were strolling the path to Stoatshead Hill, where a Portkey was awaiting. Along the way, Fred and George asked little questions into Harry about the seriousness of his claim of funding them. Harry told them to impress him, and they would get funding. Harry actually wanted to see if they could make several things to help with Voldemort's resurrection, but that bridge would be crossed later.

"Whew," panted Mr Weasley, taking off his glasses and wiping them on his sweater. He had led the teens on a torturous walk up a large hill. "Well, we've made good time - we've got ten minutes... Now we just need the Portkey."

The kids went a-looking for the Portkey, and the Trio strode in the direction where the two Diggorys were waiting.

"Over here, Arthur!" called Amos. Arthur lead the other teens to the other man, who was standing in front of an old boot.

"This is Amos Diggory, everyone," said Mr Weasley, shaking Amos' hand. "Works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. And I think you know his son, Cedric?"

"Hi," Cedric greeted. Everyone replied in kind, except the twins.

Arthur and Amos chatted for a minute while the teens just stood around awkwardly, until Amos noticed Harry.

"Merlin's beard," he said, eyes widening. "Harry? Harry Potter?"

"The one and only," Harry drawled. He was waiting for Amos to begin a tirade about how good Cedric was.

"Ced's talked about you, of course," Amos said. "Told us all about playing against you last year... I said to him, I said - Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, that well... you beat Harry Potter!"

Harry coughed out a 'Prick'. Cedric chuckled, then moved to defend Harry.

"Oh yeah Dad. I'll tell my grandchildren that I beat Harry because Dementors attacked him and he fell of his broom."

"But you didn't fall off your broom Ced. You didn't fall off," roared Amos. Ron pulled his wand and shot a Stinging Hex at Amos. "Merlin! I think a bee just stung me!"

"Look at the time!" shouted Mr Weasley, shooting a glare at Ron. "The Portkey is about ready! Let's all put a finger on it." They all did, and minutes later, the Portkey took them all to a stretch of misty moor.

"What a prick," Harry muttered to his friends, as Amos and Cedric went off. "Do you think Cedric would mind if I hexed Amos all the way to Jupiter?" Ron laughed appreciatively, and Hermione stifled a smile.

..::..--.--..::..

"They'll be talking about this one for years," Ludo Bagman said hoarsely. "Now, how much do I owe you boys?" Fred and George were onto him like a Hippogriff on dead ferrets within seconds.

Harry just chuckled, happy with the outcome. He would be visiting his Irish friend for the money he now owes Harry the next day. Now, with the main event out of the way, Harry, Ron and Hermione were waiting for the post-match Death Eater fun. Also, Harry had made sure Barty Crouch Jr. didn't steal his wand, but he didn't know if that would stop ol' Barty.

Harry and Ron didn't fall asleep when Mr Weasley sent them off to bed. No, they were waiting for the Weasley patriarch to tell them about the riots going on outside.

"59 bottles of Butterbeer on the wall, 59 bottles of Butterbeer..." Harry sang softly to himself. "You take one down, pass it around, 58 bottles of Butterbeer on the wall..."

"Shut up Harry," moaned Ron. Outside, Harry could hear the drunken singing turn into screaming and running. It was go time.

"Get up! Ron, Harry, I need you to get up! This is urgent!" Mr Weasley called. Harry and Ron were out of bed instantly, still clothed. Mr Weasley eyed them oddly. "No time, Harry. Go outside quickly. Do not do anything reckless." He walked off to wake the others.

Harry strapped his wand holster to his wrist. "Aww... they've been telling me not to be reckless for years now. It hasn't worked."

"It never will," Ron replied, following his friend out of the tent.

Outside, a stray Killing Curse erupted a random tent in flames. The curse was sent by one of the dozen men in black hoods and white masks; Death Eaters. They were in a tightly packed circle, destroying tents, cursing people, and floating four Muggles up in the air.

"We're going to help the Ministry," Mr Weasley shouted, gesturing to himself, Charlie, Bill and Percy. "You lot - get into the woods, and stick together. I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!" Bill, Charlie and Percy were already sprinting away, and Mr Weasley followed.

"C'mon," ordered Fred, taking Ginny's hand. All laughter had left his eyes at the sight of Muggle torture. George followed, but the Trio simply Disillusioned themselves and went into the fray. Harry took charge.

"Ron, I need you to take out Malfoy. I want to Ministry to see him without a mask. Deliver him to your dad or Amelia Bones. She should be around here somewhere. Remember, keep him alive." Ron nodded.

"Hermione, take care of the ones playing with the Muggles. Break their wand hands, kill if you have to." Hermione nodded as well.

"And you?" she asked. Harry grinned.

"I'm going to 'help'," he said simply.

The Trio were now approaching the circle, jumping over flaming wrecks of tents, unconscious or dead people, and avoiding anything that could expose them as visible. Harry performed a temporary magical sight spell on his glasses, checking for invisible Death Eaters. Sure enough, he could spot who he assumed was Barty Crouch Jr, walking into the trees.

"_Reducto! Diffindo! Sectumsempra!_" Hermione cried, flinging her wand rapidly. Two Death Eaters took their curses, their wand and wand hands dropping to the ground. Four Death Eaters shot random curses in her direction, and Ron shielded her.

Harry split off from his friends and blasted the ground in front of three Death Eaters. Beside him, several Ministry workers in their pyjamas were hopelessly duelling their opponents. No Ministry worker was dead - yet anyway.

"_Confringo!_" Ron called. The Blasting Curse took out the mask of Lucius Malfoy, impaling his cheek with shrapnel. A little hasty, but it worked. "_Accio Lucius Malfoy!_" The man came flying towards Ron, who cancelled the charm halfway. Summoning people was only useful for a second or so, because summoning an object that size taxed magical cores very quickly.

"Nice one!" Harry shouted, as Hermione crippled a Death Eater Harry recognised as Selwyn. He wouldn't be walking anytime soon. The Muggles that the Death Eaters were playing with were on the ground, and an all out duel had started between the Death Eaters and Ministry workers.

Ron Stunned Malfoy, and banished his body back to the Weasley tent. He then headed for the tree line - the plan did not involve being caught in a crossfire after all was finished.

Harry meanwhile, was helping the Weasley brothers duel three Death Eaters, one of them being Vincent Crabbe Sr. The Weasley men narrowly avoided simultaneous Cruciatus Curses, and Harry acted.

"_Sectumsempra_!" The Dark Slashing Spell was effective, and Crabbe's head de-attached from his body. The other two Death Eaters were Stunned by Bill, who had Percy distract them by enchanting tent poles. Charlie, meanwhile, was sporting a bloodied nose and sitting on the sidelines.

Job done, Harry headed to the trees, where a now visible Ron was waiting. Hermione joined them a second later, and the Trio ran right into the forest, as a deep voice called out:

"_MOSMORDRE_!" The all-too familiar Dark Mark hit the skies, and the still alive/conscious Death Eaters panicked and Apparated off. They had hung around a lot longer than in the old timeline, as Harry, Ron and Hermione worked out later. The two reasons were that the Trio's meddling had caused a more all out battle than a slight skirmish. That and that Barty needed to fetch another wand to cast the Mark.

"Are you OK?" Mr Weasley asked worriedly. Harry, Ron and Hermione had stayed in plain sight in the trees, and Mr Weasley had spotted them. "Where's Ginny, Fred and George?"

"We got separated," Harry lied. "The lamps went out in the forest here, and they must of just lost us like we lost them."

"Are you all right Hermione?" Mr Weasley then asked, gesturing to the cut on Hermione's forehead. The result of a stray Cutting Curse.

"Peachy Mr Weasley. I hit my head on a tree, and you were out there being a hero," she simpered. Mr Weasley beamed at her a little.

"Three Death Eaters died by stray curses. Three people were killed in the crossfire, and two Ministry workers are being hospitalised. Everything will be fine Hermione, Ron. Harry, are you okay... the Dark Mark... Merlin..."

"I'm fine Mr Weasley. Don't worry," Harry reassured. He was still coming down from a major adrenaline rush. "We'll head back to the tent, and you go find the others."

Mr Weasley nodded and ran off. The Trio shared tired looks, and traipsed back to the tent. Along the way, they spotted the Ministry workers and Aurors cleaning up the mess the Trio made.

"I'm tired," Ron complained. "Doing that in this body is not that easy."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "But I'm high on Nutritional Potions, so it was all right."

Ron glared at him. "You didn't take on Lucius Malfoy!"

"You were invisible Ron! He took one Blasting Curse to the face and you Stunned him. The end. Big whoop!" Harry snapped. Hermione pulled her wand out and hit them both with a Cheering Charm.

"Calm yourselves," she ordered. She looked a little distressed about being in battle too. Her hair was frizzier than normal.

The Trio arrived at the tent to find Bill, Charlie, Fred, George and Ginny standing around Lucius Malfoy.

"Blimey!" Ron cried. "Someone did a number on him!"

Bill nodded, checking the Trio over. "Yeah. Percy's coming back with an Auror. Looks like daddy Malfoy will have to pay his way out again."

The Trio just shrugged. More than anything, the night's plan was to just help out and capture some Death Eaters. Hopefully, the Trio could use the fact Fudge let Malfoy go against him. Having Fudge dethroned as Minister of Magic would help get Sirius cleared in the future. In short, Fudge is a moron.

Percy returned with the familiar face of Kingsley Shacklebolt, who looked almost gleeful at the sight of an unconscious Lucius Malfoy.

"Thank you for notifying me, Weasley. I'll take care of him." He bound Lucius, took the man's shattered mask and wand as evidence, and left the tent.

"Well," Harry said happily. "That was exciting."

Mr Weasley returned a few minutes later, explaining about a House Elf stealing Mundungus Fletcher's wand and casting the Mark. Hermione protested Winky's innocence, and Mr Weasley told her he agreed that an elf couldn't of cast the Mark. Mr Weasley also looked rather pleased to hear about Lucius' capture.

"I found his son out in the forest," he told the teens. "He almost wet himself when three Aurors went after him." The tent was filled with laughter at that.

Harry himself was remembering the day when he, Ron and Hermione decided against killing Draco, in lieu of locking him in a Muggle prison. Upon visiting Malfoy a week later, they found out he killed himself after two days.

..::..--.--..::..

To be continued in Chapter Two....

..::..--.--..::..


	2. Chapter 2 :: Best Laid Plans

Disclaimer :: All things Harry Potter are owned by JK Rowling, and it would be quite an insult to her if I were to claim them as my own wouldn't it? Here we go!

To End in Serenity

Written by MattSilver

..::..--.--..::..

Rated because of coarse language, teenage drinking, violence, references to sex, sarcastic humour and slight out of character situations and personalities. You have been warned.

General Notes :: Harry, Ron and Hermione are referred to as the Golden Trio, or just the Trio. Note the capital 'T' when I refer to them. Get used to seeing that.

- Several lines and phrases from the actual books are used occasionally, mostly from the third, fourth and fifth books.

- The backstory of the war is based around some events of HBP and DH, but only basic plot things like Horcruxes and Dumbledore's death are mentioned.

..::..--.--..::..

Chapter 2 of 6 :: Best Laid Plans

..::..--.--..::..

"You're covered in blood Harry," Hermione remarked, pointing to Harry's T-shirt. The shirt was plain white with black lettering: 'But you're breathing deeper than I am sir.'

The Trio were in Lovegood Getaway, escaping the Burrow for an hour or so to go 'swimming'. Actually, Harry was visiting his Irish friend and receiving the money he earned by betting on the World Cup's outcome.

"He tried to get out of the deal," Harry told her, dropping the sack of money he was holding. He would send it off to Gringotts later. "Found Sirius yet?"

Ron nodded. "He's in the British Virgin Islands. Quite the Apparation trip."

"We've nothing better to do," Harry reminded him. "Let's rock." The Trio Apparated off, reappearing on a sandy beach. Once again, Padfoot had his back to the Trio, and was licking himself.

"Dammit Sirius!" Harry called. The Animagus quickly turned back into a man. "Can't you just stop it sometimes!"

"Harry!" Sirius snapped. "Nice to see you," he added a bit more pleasantly. "Ron, Hermione."

"Sirius," they said simultaneously. Harry dropped the basket of food he had Dobby obtain and sat down on the sand.

"Nice place," Ron said, waving a hand at the small island all around them. No dwellings had been built, but there was a nice stretch of beach, a great sparkling ocean, and wild tropical birds making excessive noise up in the trees.

Sirius laughed heartily. "It's very heavily warded. I think Dad wanted to bring the family here, but even he didn't want to see dear old Mum in a swimsuit. That and I would've fed Regulus to one of those birds. Wait, how did you get here?"

Harry started the story. "Well, Hermione tracked you down, and -"

"- We owled our friend Parvarti. Dear old Parv was nice enough to offer us a Floo-"

"- And we escaped my parents, went to visit dear old Parv and her best friend Lavender. Great girls, both of them. They had a small summer home out here-"

"- Like Hermione said, we Flooed to it, and then we just flew here. Simple really."

Sirius looked them over. "Okay then. How are things back in England?"

Harry gestured to the food basket. Inside were also some clean robes and some money. "Eat. Then we talk."

Sirius greedily chomped down on some chicken, while Hermione explained current events.

She just finished describing the World Cup, and got to the aftermath. "Rita Skeeter had a field day. Berating the Ministry for letting those people die, bad security measures and all that. Then she ripped into the fact three Death Eaters were killed, and two captured, including Lucius Malfoy."

"Oh yeah, two days later, Malfoy and Goyle are back on the streets. And I think the dead ones - Selwyn, Crabbe and Flint, were ripped into a bit too," Harry added. He and Hermione had argued for ten minutes about what to do with Rita Skeeter. Harry wanted her taken care of before the Triwizard started, but Hermione convinced him to let her take of it. He was fully expecting Hermione to come to Hogwarts with a beetle in a jar.

"Not as much as Fudge was. That Skeeter bitch really doesn't like him," Ron finished, munching on some of Sirius' food.

Sirius let out a short bark-like laugh. "I know why. Back when me and James were Auror Trainees, one of our missions was to arrest Skeeter. She illegally transfigured herself in front of Muggles, and we brought her in. Fudge was with us - he was in the DMLE at the time - and he went pink when he saw her. He was shit scared. James bet twenty Galleons with Remus that Fudge and Skeeter had 'met' before if you catch my drift..."

The Trio burst out laughing. Harry got the first joke in, with: "Really? Fudge and Skeeter? I always thought Fudge's type was Umbridge..."

Sirius laughed appreciatively. "I think Fudge is just a lonely man. And a total fucking moron." His face darkened.

"Isn't he just?" Harry interjected, derailing any outbursts. He wasn't lapping up Fudge's decisions as a Minister any more than Sirius was, but he didn't want his godfather to go on a killing spree. "Anyway, you gotta hear about what Fred and George are up to..."

Two hours later, the Trio were walking back up to the Burrow.

"Well, that was fun," Harry said. Indeed, the two lifelong confidants of Harry Potter had never seen him so happy since the war ended. When they entered the Burrow, Harry's happy face dropped. Sitting at the kitchen table was Albus Dumbledore.

"Harry!" he said happily, standing up. "Good summer I hope?"

"Peachy," Harry replied frostily. Dumbledore just smiled.

"Excellent. Where were you, Ronald and Miss Granger off to just now?" Oh ho, Mrs Weasley must have informed Dumbledore that his Boy-Who-Lived ran away for three hours.

"Swimming. We went for a walk afterwards." Dumbledore just kept smiling.

"And why is your shirt covered in blood Harry? And why are Ronald's shorts covered in sand? Must of been some swimming trip."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Sir? The blood is just part of the shirt design. And there is sand at the beach. Are you just here for tea or are you going to interrogate me further?"

"Of course, how about a walk Harry my boy," said Dumbledore. He guided the disgruntled teen out to the Weasley orchard. "Now Harry..."

"Sir?"

"Why didn't you owl me or your friends about your family Harry?" Dumbledore sounded sad, but Harry could see past it. He knew the old man was a little more than just unhappy.

"Sir... I didn't think it was a big deal. The Dursleys have been on holiday and left me behind before. All the times they've been on holiday actually." Harry added that last line as a metaphorical slap to Dumbledore. He was not disappointed at the Headmaster's eyebrow raising.

"Of course," he said. "Did you go anywhere Harry? Did you leave the house?"

Harry squirmed a bit, just for show. "Sir? I went to Diagon Alley one day. I took the Knight Bus. I just needed to get some books and study up a little. I told you about Trelawney's prophecy remember? I need to be prepared..."

"You cannot do magic during the summer Harry."

"No shit," Harry whispered. Dumbledore caught it, but didn't comment. "Sorry sir, I didn't think what I did during summer was such a big deal. I haven't done any magic since the World Cup, and that was just a Lighting Charm."

Dumbledore plastered a smile on his dial. "I am sorry Harry. I was wondering what you could of done home alone for three weeks. I was concerned for your safety." What a load of shit. Dumbledore was concerned about his weapon than Harry himself. It sounded a little harsh, but Harry didn't quite think the man ever justified his actions enough to earn Harry's full respect or admiration.

"Of course sir. Sorry for worrying you," said Harry. He was internally wondering how he never turned to the Dark Side in the past. Seriously, Tom Riddle did it, and he didn't have that much manipulation in his life.

Dumbledore left a few moments later, and Harry rolled his eyes at the spot the Headmaster was last in. It wasn't that reassuring that Dumbledore was suspicious of him, but he could handle the old man. Hopefully, other people wouldn't rule him off as a child after this year.

Hopefully.

The next day, Harry decided he needed a break. "I'm going to Serenity Valley for a bit." He informed Ron. "Tell everyone else I'm... sleeping or something. Figure something out."

With that, Harry Apparated to the outskirts of the sleepy little town. It was mid-morning, nearly lunchtime, so Harry went to the local pub for a bite to eat. Maybe with the use of a Compulsion Charm, he could grab a drink.

Unfortunately, he heard someone call out his name.

"Harry Potter?" the person asked. He didn't need to turn around to ascertain that it was a female, and in his age group. He whirled around and faced one of his classmates.

"Oh," he said stupidly, trying to place her name. "Hello. Didn't think I'd find a pretty witch like you all the way out here." The 'pretty witch' was definitely in his year, but finding the name was difficult. She was probably a Ravenclaw - he never interacted with them much. She was a little shorter than him, with dark brown hair and a long fringe, nearly covering her dark blue eyes.

Harry mentally berated himself for not knowing her name. And hitting on a 14-year-old. Luckily for him, she just laughed nervously.

"Aren't you a little young to go into a pub?" she asked. Harry was indeed facing the Happy Welshman Pub, ten steps away from the door.

"That's what Compulsion Charms are for my dear," he told her. "And I need a drink. Perhaps you want to join me?"

"But..." she protested. "You can't do magic in the holidays." Her tone went accusatory. "Wait! You can't do magic in the summer! How can you do it?"

"Magic," Harry said simply. "Watch this." Checking there were no Muggles nearby, he changed the colour of her top from white to green. "Ta-da."

"You didn't do anything... oh wait a second," she looked down at her top. "Smooth."

"I'll ask again, want to grab a drink? Or shall I vanish your top to show off more of magic tricks?"

"All right," she acquiesced, smiling a little. "I want to be there when the Ministry arrests you for using magic on Muggles."

"Ten Galleons says I won't be arrested," he bet her. She laughed, and the two walked off into the pub.

"Fine. I, Aimee Isabella Moon, will give Harold James Potter ten Galleons if he is not arrested by the Ministry." While the girl giggled through her oath, Harry blurted out:

"So your name is Aimee!" he cried. He then winced. "That was so not the right thing to say..."

Aimee laughed. "I can't wait until you get arrested." God, Harry hoped she was just joking.

"Are you sure you're not in Slytherin?" he asked her shiftily. She started to snicker.

"I am in Slytherin!" she cackled. Harry had the sudden urge to hit himself for being outfoxed by her.

"I'm raising the bet to twenty Galleons," mumbled Harry.

As a matter of fact, Harry did not get arrested. He failed to inform his classmate that his wand was untraceable, and he had long ago perfected a way to put as little magical power in spells, not alerting people of magic in Muggle neighbourhoods. She was shocked, but drank and ate with him happily (He was paying after all). The two spent the afternoon chatting away.

Harry found out all kinds of things about the Hogwarts hierarchy he never knew.

"The Gryffindors all worship you," Aimee said, sipping from her glass. "The Ravenclaws all want to study you, the Hufflepuffs are wary of you and the Slytherins... reaction is mixed."

"Draco Malfoy wants me," Harry muttered. "Why else would he follow me around for three years?"

Aimee giggled lightly. "Did you know that Draco Malfoy is engaged to Pansy Parkinson?"

Harry had snickered into his drink for the rest of the day, and Aimee told him about being one of three half-blood Slytherins in her year (Along with Tracey Davis and Blaise Zabini). Harry in turn told her the truths to several rumours over the years about him.

No, he wasn't getting advanced duelling lessons from Dumbledore. No, he never used Love Potion on first year boys. No, he doesn't murder roosters (His only lie).

By the time the sun had set, Harry was daring Aimee into drinking actual alcohol (Muggle of course). He could handle it a little better, having years of experience and Occlumency; the latter actually helped block the inhibitions alcohol put you under. The nightly pub visitors started pouring in, and Harry cast several Notice-Me-Not's, before taking the half-inebriated Aimee home.

The walk/stumble to her family's house was a hilarious time for both. He would laugh at her inexperience in being drunk, and she would laugh after she vomited on his shoes. Eventually, he found her house (She didn't give the best directions), and led her up the driveway.

"I'll owl you sometime. Or we'll catch up at Hogwarts," Aimee promised, her most sober words yet. Harry smiled at her.

"We'll get drunk again at Hogwarts! Brilliant idea."

She laughed. "Thanks for this Harry. I needed to relax a bit... I owe you thirty-four Galleons by the way." The bet's price had increased over the afternoon. With that, Aimee walked into her home.

Harry reflected that he shouldn't Apparate home yet, and started the long walk down the driveway. However, he was stopped when a portly man with neat sandy brown hair appeared at the front door of Aimee's house.

"You!" he cried, pointing at Harry. "What did you do to my daughter?"

Harry made sure his scar was hidden. He didn't want an angry father on his case. "Err... we had fun?" Again, not the right thing to say.

"Who are you?" Mr Moon asked, eyebrows narrowing. "Are you from around here?"

"Yes!" Harry cried, appearing to be severely threatened. "My name is... Barry... Barry Trotter!" With that, he ran down the street, and Apparated upon turning the corner. Haha, no fathers were going to chase him down!

"Blimey!" Ron exclaimed, as Harry vomited on his bed up in Ron's room. "Are you drunk?"

"I'm not sober," Harry pointed out. He cleaned the vomit, and sat on his bed. "How are things here?"

"Mum thinks you're sick," said Ron, eyebrows still raised. "What the hell did you do?"

Harry chuckled. "I may have run into one of our classmates and got her pissed. It was actually pretty fun. Not many people can claim that out-drank a Slytherin."

"A Slytherin classmate? Harry, Harry, Harry... the Hufflepuffs are the heavy drinkers mate. Haven't you heard the rumours?" Rumours of great Hufflepuff parties had indeed reached Harry's ears. He had never been to one though.

"Oh. But I still had fun."

"Who was it? Daphne Greengrass? Tracey Davis? Pansy?" Ron questioned.

"Yes, Ron. I found the Pureblood Chief Bitch Pansy Parkinson and got her drunk. It was Aimee Moon actually." Harry's brain was starting to swim. The disadvantage to using Occlumency to block off alcohol related problems was that it would be bad when the shields came down. Case in point - right now.

"Aimee Moon..." Ron mused. "I never heard of her." By the time Ron was finished searching his brain banks for a face to name, Harry was out cold.

..::..--.--..::..

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

"But what about Fudge? I mean, he has to go if Sirius can be cleared..."

"You heard me Hermione, we can't risk a Ministry disaster. With such a disaster, the Triwizard won't go ahead, and if that doesn't happen..."

"We're boned," Ron finished. He, Harry and Hermione were about to depart for King's Cross Station. A familiar argument between the three of them was how to proceed from their current positions. What our time-travellers didn't want to happen was a big enough ripple in the lake. The ripple would become so big that they couldn't predict future events, and if that was to happen.

"We'd be so boned," Ron repeated.

"Too true," Harry agreed. He double checked his trunk. "Let's get going. Lots to do and all that."

"And you have to meet your Aimee again," Ron said teasingly. He and Harry levitated their trunks out of Ron's bedroom window and guided them down to the taxi just beyond the Burrow's front gate. Only a degree of self control and Hermione's presence stopped them from having an air battle.

Harry for his part just smiled. "She owes me thirty-four Galleons."

Hermione shook her head. "Did you send Sirius that letter?"

Harry nodded. She was referring to Harry's note about arrangements for the school year. Sirius was going to get weekly food drops via Dobby, all paid for by Harry's Galleons. Harry had advised that he stay on his family's island, until he could drop hints about placing Sirius at the Lovegood Getaway.

"How did you get your trunks down to the car?" Ginny asked, intercepting the Trio halfway down the stairs. She was hauling her own heavy trunk behind her.

"Threw 'em," Ron replied. Charlie approached the quartet at the bottom of stairs.

"Harry, Ron, why did one of the taxi drivers just tell me he saw two trunks fly towards them?" he asked, eyebrows raised. Hermione giggled.

"They levitated them." Charlie blinked slowly. Then he rounded on the boys.

"WHAT?" he snapped. The Trio walked off and Ginny followed them. Charlie was just watching their retreating backs, working out whether Hermione was joking or not. He would never figure it out.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, Mrs Weasley, Charlie and Bill reached the station five minutes before the train was scheduled to leave. After securing a compartment, the Trio went back out to the platform to say goodbye.

"I might be seeing you all sooner than you think," said Charlie, grinning, as he hugged Ginny goodbye.

"Why?" Fred asked.

"You'll see," Charlie winked. "Just don't tell Percy I mentioned it... it's 'classified information, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it', after all."

"Yeah I sort of wish I was back at Hogwarts this year," Bill said wistfully.

"Why?" George demanded.

"You're going to have an interesting year," Bill said, eyes twinkling. "I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it..."

"Yeah," Ron interjected. "I know I wouldn't want to miss a Triwizard Tournament event."

"What was that?" Bill and Charlie asked simultaneously. Fred and George were looking curious as well.

"Yeah, we met Bagman at the Quidditch World Cup," Harry told them. "He wouldn't shut up about it. I can't wait, I've read about them you know."

"But people die in Triwizard's all the time!" Hermione protested. "But, it's totally worth the money right Ron?"

"Definitely," he agreed. Behind them, the train whistle blew. Mrs Weasley started pushing them to the train. The Trio caught the final look of shock on Bill's face as they headed inside.

"See you Mrs Weasley!" Harry called. Ron waved at his family, and Hermione smiled shyly. "Sorry we won't be coming for Christmas, but see you soon."

"Why wouldn't you be coming at Christmas?" Fred asked suspiciously.

"Oh I don't know. Something exciting will be happening I bet."

The Trio retreated to their compartment, which was soon locked and warded.

"Hey Hermione," Ron said hesitantly. "Where did you go last night?"

Hermione smiled evilly, and produced a jar from her robes. "Picked up a pet." Inside the jar was a nice fat beetle, chewing on a leaf. "She's under a strong Confundus. She'll be released when the Tournament is over, simply forgetting she was in this jar for a year."

"Brilliant," Harry cackled. He tapped on the side of the jar. "Better that than dead, if you say so."

"I'm not a murderer yet Harry," Hermione scolded, placing the Unbreakable jar in her trunk.

"What about Hedwig?" Ron asked. "Do you think she'd eat a big fat juicy beetle like her?"

Hedwig the owl was currently taking a trip to the British Virgin Islands, but she would've clicked her beak indignantly at the thought of eating a foul Skeeter beetle.

Harry produced a deck of cards, and started to shuffle them. It's not like they had anything better to do... then a light screeching noise was heard in the compartment.

"Ward's tripped," Hermione said. She pulled her wand out and analysed the ward. "One person, so no Malfoy. I think."

Harry was already opening the door. "Aimee!" he said in surprise. "Hi."

"Harry," she greeted. "Weasley, Granger," she added, waving to the other two.

"So," Harry started, grinning. "You owe me thirty-four Galleons Aimee..."

Aimee laughed. "For what you did to my dad, I'll give you forty." Harry joined her in laughter, before inviting into the compartment for a spell.

"What did you do Harry?" Hermione asked wearily. Deep down, she was predicting prison sentences. "_Avada Kedavra _Roulette?"

"Kreacher used to love that game," Ron sniffed, wiping a fake tear from his eye. Legally, Kreacher's death was a tragic accident.

"No," Aimee said, looking at Harry's friends oddly. She shrugged. "Dad spent two days hunting down the mysterious Barry Trotter. I piled on some decent lies."

Harry recovered from his unmanly giggling. "Like?"

"That Barry was a kitten killing teen who grew up with rich parents. He had been arrested twelve times, gotten away with murder by paying the cops off and was planning to kill me after having his wicked way with me. Stuff like that."

Harry's eyes widened. "Slytherins! They just can't stop!"

"I'm sorry. Barry Trotter?" Hermione asked.

Ron laughed. "Oh I get it! You ran into Mr Moon after taking his daughter home! Then, in your drunken brilliance, may have used the alias Barry Trotter. You are the king."

Aimee flashed a grin to Harry. "And I had a headache all day. Thanks a lot Harry."

"You still owe me money," Harry protested. Inwardly, he was quite pleased with himself. Aimee patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm sure we can figure something out," she said saucily. Harry saw the telltale gleam in her eye. It was a Slytherin thing.

"And I was so sure you were a nice girl," Harry pouted. Aimee matched his pout and leaned into his ear.

"At least I'm not a kitten killing murdering rapist, Barry."

"I have never killed a kitten or raped anyone. And I was never named Barry," Harry said jokingly.

"I knew it!" Aimee squealed. "You're the one who was responsible for Quirrell's death!"

"No," Harry laughed. "Hermione did that. I just hid the evidence!" The compartment cracked up. Harry's laugh was half-nervous - was there another Slytherin rumour concerning the events in the third floor corridor?

"Well I better head off," Aimee said, looking at her watch. "We have four hours until the Hogwarts Express arrives at Hogsmeade, and the whole school has to know you killed Quirrell. Ciao!" She left the compartment.

"Was she serious? Or is she off her kilter?" Ron asked. Harry giggled again.

"I don't know. She seemed almost normal until I befriended her. Hmm... makes you think..."

"What we would have been like if you weren't our friend?" Hermione finished. "We would be a lot less stressed..."

When the train pulled into Hogsmeade hours later, Harry, Ron and Hermione were relieved to find out that Aimee hadn't spread any rumours. She winked at Harry before jumping into a Thestral-drawn carriage though.

The Trio, Luna and Neville shared a carriage, chatting politely about the Quidditch World Cup and other events. Luna's father had apparently found out about the Triwizard Tournament, or as she called it, the Footfluff Exhibition.

"Daddy explained the need for human life source. The Exhibition would deliberately end in death so as to help along the Footfluff Flamingos. But when he explained that the Flamingos could only survive on human life source, even I thought he was reaching," she ranted. "There were studies in the 40's that clearly proved that they needed the life source to reproduce, not survive. They could simply hibernate themselves in the colder areas of Denmark until the Exhibition came around again. Watch yourselves."

By the time the Trio and Neville separated from the third year girl, Harry had already given her five Galleons for a Quibbler subscription.

After a lengthy Sorting and a filling feast, Dumbledore stood up to make some announcements. The Triwizard was brought up, and Harry was glad that the event was still going on.

..::..--.--..::..

The days leading up to Halloween were roundly uneventful. Classes resumed, talk about the Triwizard reigned supreme, and Harry found himself hanging around with Aimee Moon every now and then. She was fun to be around, and Harry enjoyed teasing her about the fact she was a soft drinker.

In classes, Moody's were undoubtedly the hardest to sit through. While a decent teacher, the Trio had a slight problem with the fact that he was an imposter, and an insane Death Eater to boot. To add insult to injury, Crouch Jr/Moody had taught the class the Unforgivables with less effort than the real Moody would've done. Crouch Jr must've been a very good Occlumens, but the look of satisfaction on his face while Cruciating a spider was obvious. However, Crouch Jr was left untouched, because he was still needed.

Snape was still a king git, and Harry was just ignoring him instead of fighting back. No outright duels occurred, mostly because the Trio were unsure if they could erase Snape's memory of the event. Just for kicks, Aimee had paired with Harry for one lesson. The look of somewhat shock on Snape's face was quite satisfying.

Also, Harry and Ron were enjoying Divination this time around. With use of several useful spells, Trelawney was under the impression that they were always in her classes, while in fact the two boys usually slept in or went flying.

However, it was soon time for Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to come and visit Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament aka Footfluff Exhibition.

So, on Friday evening, the Trio found themselves standing out on the school grounds, waiting for the other two schools to arrive. Sure enough, Madam Maxime's giant horse carriage and Karkaroff's creepy ship arrived.

"Hey Hermione look!" Ron exclaimed. "It's Krum!"

Hermione scowled at him. "Do you want to lose you ability to reproduce?"

Ron grinned cheekily at her. Harry chuckled. "Yeah, the Yule Ball will be fun this year won't it?"

"Oh sure," Ron agreed. "Are you still going to raffle yourself off?"

Harry grimaced. Once Fred and George were informed about the Yule Ball by the Trio, they immediately decided that a chance to take Harry to the Ball would make a lot of money. And thus, they were going to sell him off if couldn't find a date.

"Haha," Harry retorted. "Are you wearing those maroon robes?" Ron pinked a little. Mrs Weasley had bought Ron the same hideously lacy maroon robes she did back in the old timeline, but this time, Ron was ordering new ones.

"I'm sending the owl tomorrow," he mentioned. As Igor Karkaroff was chatting with Dumbledore, Ron's eyes narrowed. "Are we going to kill Karkaroff?" The Trio did not notice a frightened Dennis Creevey overhearing the conversation.

"Perhaps," Harry said. Karkaroff was a coward and not generally liked within the Trio. That and the rumours of what he does with the Durmstrang boys...

"Won't he just be killed in his cowardice?" Hermione pleaded. Again, she was trying to take the moral high ground.

"You sat there and watched us kill Kreacher, and you killed Macnair! Don't get all high and mighty with us!" Harry laughed at Ron's exclamation.

"Macnair tripped," Hermione pouted. Again, the Trio didn't notice Dennis back away slowly and escape the murderous Golden Trio.

"Hey pale Englishwizards!" called Aimee, approaching them. "How are things?"

"Fine," they chorused. Harry had a further point though:

"You're English too."

Aimee giggled. "Half-French on dad's side. But, I'm not regretting the choice to come here instead of Beauxbatons. They look like a bunch of snobs."

The Trio nodded. "Ten Galleons that they'll complain about the weather," Harry offered. Aimee grinned.

"No no Trotter. I am not betting with you." Unbeknownst to Ron and Hermione, Harry and Aimee had repeated their summer drink-off in the kitchens. Harry won of course, and now the half-French Slytherin owed him a further twenty-three Galleons, twelve Sickles and four Knuts.

"I'm still paying off the rest of what I owe you..." she mumbled.

The Trio and Aimee made their way into the Great Hall, where the foreign schools were settling in. And because Harry loves drama, he turned to Aimee.

"Want to sit with us?" he asked. She smiled winningly.

"Drama queen. Sure thing."

So, for the first time in two decades, a Slytherin sat on the Gryffindor Table for a feast. The last time had been in the 70's, when the Marauders tied Severus Snape to the table and spent the night pleasantly talking about Gryffindor things. Rumour has it he broke his nose to escape, causing the unnatural hook shape it was currently in.

"Uhh... Harry?" Neville squeaked, looking at the Slytherin nervously. "Why is she here?"

"Neville it's okay," Harry reassured. "Just don't make any sudden moves and she won't see you." Neville nodded meekly. He picked up his fork, and Aimee deliberately looked at him predatorily. Neville paled.

"I see you," she mouthed.

After the feast and the Goblet of Fire announcement, Harry bumped into Igor Karkaroff as they were leaving the Great Hall.

"Hello Igor!" Harry said cheerily, patting the man on the shoulder. Igor turned an unhealthy shade of purple. "How's being a Headmaster treating you?"

"Listen here you little-" Karkaroff was cut off by Moody, who Silenced him. Next to turning Malfoy into a ferret, it was probably the coolest thing Crouch Jr ever did.

"Go on lad," Moody said, gesturing to the stairs. Harry moved along, all the Gryffindors in his year following. Aimee had departed early, citing that she needed to go get the taste of French food out of her mouth by vomiting heartily.

"Do you know him?" Seamus asked. "I mean, you patted him on the shoulder..."

"Me and Igor go way back!" Harry joked. "He was actually a supporter of Voldemort back in the day you know. Spread it around."

That night, Harry, Ron and Hermione found themselves watching the Goblet of Fire. As usual, they were playing cards, invisible.

"When do you think he's coming?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged.

"I don't know. If he doesn't do it, we'll have to take care of it ourselves won't we? Hermione?"

The resident genius shrugged. "I think I can Confund it into taking your name Harry. It's a little Dark, but do-able."

Ron snorted, but then they all heard a dull thud noise. Moody clunked into the Hall, looking around suspiciously. Harry, Ron and Hermione had used a spell to hide themselves magically and physically, a handy one that Moody himself once taught them. As such, Moody's magical eye wouldn't spot them.

Moody's Polyjuice wore off, and Crouch Jr appeared in his place. Pocketing Moody's eye and wooden leg, Crouch approached the Goblet, holding a slip of paper. The Trio watched as he spent ten minutes waving his wand around the Goblet, before placing the slip of paper with Harry's name on it into the fire.

His mission done, Crouch did something the Trio wouldn't of predicted. He walked out of the big double doors and out onto the Hogwarts grounds, turning invisible. Harry and Ron followed, leaving Hermione to check over the Goblet.

Using a magical sight spell, Harry and Ron spotted Crouch over at the tree line of the Forbidden Forest. The Death Eater pulled out a small square mirror.

Harry and Ron shared a look. It was a communication mirror.

"Peter Pettigrew," he whispered. The two teens kept their distance, and no silencing wards were thrown up. Apparently, Crouch was really arrogant.

"Are you alone Barty?" came the voice of Wormtail. Oh yeah, he died painfully back in the old timeline. But this time, he would just be imprisoned. Then the dying painfully if he escapes.

"Yes Wormtail," Crouch snapped. "I wish to talk to our Lord."

"Our Lord will speak to you when he is done. He is talking to your father now. We've been talking for three days now."

Harry and Ron shared another glance. Crouch Sr was put under Imperius this early? That didn't seem right.

"What?" Crouch hissed. "I thought we were going to wait until Potter's name came out of the Goblet?"

Wormtail laughed. "That's what Memory Charms are for Barty. Crouch Sr is a goldmine of information about the tasks, some information that you haven't gotten us yet."

"I planted the book on that stupid Longbottom brat!"

"Yes, but there are two other tasks Barty. Crouch has been useful. Also, I found something out about my old friend Sirius that Crouch can be useful for."

"Black? What do you want with that riffraff?" Harry moved a little closer to Crouch, straining to hear.

"Revenge Barty," Wormtail simpered. "He wants me dead, but he can't do that if he's arrested now can he? A week ago, one of my contacts intercepted an owl headed for the British Virgin Islands. A letter, written by Harry Potter."

Harry gaped. Points to Wormtail.

"Potter?"

"Yes, Barty. The letter's contents were hidden though. Some kind of password I do not know, but I recognised the writing on the envelope. It was addressed to Padfoot in that pathetic scrawl of Potter's. And it was Potter's owl after all." Harry was hitting himself internally. Using Hedwig was a big mistake it seemed, but he was happy Wormtail didn't figure out the password (Which was a quote written on one of Harry's shirts).

"So?"

They couldn't see it, but Harry and Ron both imagined Wormtail was rolling his eyes. "Barty Barty... read the papers tomorrow. You will see."

"Tell our Lord that the name is in the Goblet," Crouch reminded. Wormtail probably nodded.

"Don't worry about your father Barty. He won't remember a thing tomorrow, except... well... read the _Prophet_. And Barty, talk in the mirror in your disguise you moron. The castle has eyes, and so does the Forest. Remember that."

"You little rat!" Crouch shrieked. Harry and Ron were already sprinting back to the castle, before Crouch decide to do a thorough sweep of the area. The boys met up with Hermione and made their way up to the seventh floor. On the way, Ron explained the situation to Hermione, while Harry seethed.

"Fuck fuck fuck FUCK!" Harry yelled, upon entering the Common Room. "They have Sirius don't they? I told him to hang around in the BVI, and now he's being caught because of it!"

"Calm down," Hermione soothed. "You couldn't of known..."

"Yes I fucking could of," Harry snapped. "Last time he returned here because of my scar acting up. This time we visit him and recommend he stay on that island. We didn't tell him about the Getaway..."

"Calm down, Harry! Don't wake up the whole tower."

"It's sick Ron. It's fucking sick that Wormtail is so... ugh! Betraying Dad and Mum, framing Sirius and leaving Remus to suffer alive? And I had to use Hedwig because I was fucking arrogant!"

"We all were Harry!" Hermione cried. "We were thinking it was fine. We didn't count on Wormtail being out and about. We didn't know."

"We'll have to break into Azkaban then!" Harry ranted. "We get Sirius back before he can be given the Kiss."

"Harry!"

"Shut up Harry! We don't know if Wormtail has it right. He could've been just hinting at a future plan. We don't the whole truth!"

Harry sunk into an armchair. "What else could it be Ron? Wormtail knows where Sirius is, and Voldemort could've easily had Crouch under Imperius or Memory Charms. You know? Crouch could've went and captured Sirius, and not remembered who told him where to go. Fuck."

"You need to relax Harry," Hermione berated. "It can't be that bad."

"I need a drink," Harry said, letting out a sigh. He was about to call Dobby, but Hermione acted first.

"Sorry Harry. _Stupefy!_"

Harry slumped to the ground. Ron turned to Hermione questioningly.

She answered, "He's overreacting. He'll forgive us when he calms down..."

"I don't think he wants to lose Sirius again," Ron said hollowly. "Losing him once... It screwed him up Hermione."

"I know," Hermione said, giving Ron a hug. "Can you levitate him to bed?"

Ron nodded, taking his unconscious friend back to bed.

..::..--.--..::..

_Sirius Black escapes capture once more! Twelve Ministry workers murdered!_

_Reporter Mary Jacobson: Yesterday evening, an owl sent by Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Cooperation, and former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, tipped off the authorities to the location of escaped convinct and mass murderer Sirius Black._

_At 9pm last night, a team of Aurors and Hit-Wizards found Black at his family owned island located in the British Virgin Islands (For more information on the Black Family, turn to page 5). Accompanying the Auror team was the tipster Crouch, who was there to witness Black's daring escape._

_"Seven Aurors and five Hitwizards died.." he said, his usually calm demeanour slipping. "That bastard killed twelve young wizards and witches to escape justice. It was sick, the way he laughed as he did it." Crouch and three Aurors, John Dawlish, Micheal Mueller and Sebastian Yaxley, were the only survivors._

_Black is also rumoured to be connected to the attack on the Quidditch World Cup, which resulted in several more deaths of Ministry workers and civilians. For more information and a history of murderer Sirius Black, turn to page 3._

"Shit!" Harry mouthed. Upon receiving the paper, Hermione had Silenced the still angry Harry.

"This is much worse than being arrested," Ron noted. The Trio left the Great Hall behind and headed up to the Room of Requirement for some privacy.

"We have to find him," Harry begged the other two. "We know he's innocent this time too. Crouch and Dawlish were Imperius/Confunding victims, and Mueller and Yaxley are Death Eaters. We know that."

Hermione shook her head sadly. "But the Wizarding world won't hear of that Harry. Remember, this is a Fudge Ministry."

"Dammit," Harry muttered. "Well that Ministry's gone. Sirius is now the most wanted man alive, and we need to get someone into power who can help."

"Harry, I thought we were going to wait..."

"No waiting Hermione. The Triwizard won't stop after tonight. Binding magical contracts, in case you forgot," Harry seethed. He started pacing around the Room of Requirement. "No, Fudge and his people are done!"

"Plan?" Ron asked. He was all for a Ministry coup.

"Amelia Bones," Harry said simply. "Law and order type. Fair woman. We set her up to exonerate Sirius."

"Fudge's people will block it. We don't know the loyals in that department Harry."

"Tonks. Loyal enough right? She is Sirius' cousin," said Harry. In order to satisfy his need to pace, the Room had shifted into a much larger room with well worn rugs on the floor.

Hermione shook her head. "Look, I want Sirius free as much as anyone, but we need to think things through. It's a Saturday, we have all day."

So with that, the Trio put together a Ministry overthrow, centred around the idea of freeing Sirius, but nothing else really. They didn't want the Ministry to catch wind of the Triwizard plot and screw up Voldemort's resurrection. They didn't want Crouch or Wormtail captured... and with Veritaserum and Legilimency, Amelia Bones can declare Sirius innocent without Wormtail's head on a pike.

The first part of the plan was at lunchtime. Harry, under glamour, waltzed into the Ministry under the name 'Harry Harrison'. He went to the Auror Department, and found Auror Tonks.

"I'm Auror Tonks, what did you need?" the woman herself asked. Harry smiled pleasantly. Subtlety was the key.

"Tonks..." Harry started, throwing up privacy wards around her cubicle. "What would you say if I was Harry Potter in disguise and was here to help exonerate Sirius Black?"

Tonks gaped at him. "I would need a heavy drink to go with that claim."

"Excellent!" Harry said happily. "Let's go."

So, at the Leaky Cauldron, the two sat in a warded booth and chatted for an hour and a half. Harry had brought along a Pensieve he bought during the summer, to help things along. Tonks was on a second bottle of Firewhisky by the end of the story.

"But what last night?" she asked. "You said he was innocent of everything he ever did... why are there 7 dead Aurors in my department?"

Harry smiled sadly. "I think you were duped. Crouch is under Imperius. I don't know the full details, but I was thinking it over. My friend Ron's brother Percy sent Ron a letter, mentioning Crouch had been sick for three days right? And Percy told me that Crouch is never sick. And when my owl Hedwig returned this morning, her wing was damaged and she was clutching the letter I sent. I was careless I admit, and I think Wormtail spotted my owl out on those islands..."

"And he would know if Sirius owned any islands out there."

"Or placed a tracking charm and let Hedwig continue on her way. I don't know, but if Crouch was under Wormtail's Imperius, he could've tipped off your Ministry."

"And he came along to frame Sirius!" Tonks said excitedly. "Dawlish, Yaxley and Mueller were in on it? They helped kill the other 12 on the team... those bastards."

Harry nodded. "I know. 12 of the Ministry's finest, killed for a chance to get revenge on Sirius."

"But why did they resort to killing those Aurors?" Tonks wondered. "You said Wormtail would be fine with just having Sirius arrested..."

"I think Sirius heard them coming. The island was heavily warded Tonks. Crouch and the arresting team tripped a ward, and Sirius escaped with some materials I gave to him." Harry had bought an Invisibility Cloak and a Knockturn Alley bought wand. Sirius could've easily hidden magically with that wand.

"This is heavy," she muttered, lying back in the booth.

"Welcome to my life," Harry said simply.

Tonks nodded. The idea that Harry was drinking didn't hit her yet either. "Mum will be happy when he's found innocent Harry... she was messed up when he was arrested."

"I know," Harry said sadly. "We could use her help too. For the overall plan."

"You have an overall plan?" Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Very Slytherin."

Harry laughed. "Do you want to go see Sirius? I've got a place we can stash him."

"You do? How would a 14-year-old know such a place?" said Tonks curiously.

Harry tipped the side of his nose. "Magic. Let's go, let me just activate the tracking charm." Harry wasn't an idiot, he placed all kinds of his specially made tracking charms on Sirius' person and possessions. The charm would be invented six years in the future, and so no one else could pick up on it.

Tonks Side-Apparated Harry to the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, where Sirius currently was, gliding across the water on a broomstick.

"Padfoot!" Harry called. Sirius turned and spotted his godson and some mysterious female in the water. He grinned.

"Hey Harry. How bad is it?" Sirius was ignoring Tonks for a minute, still trying to figure out who she was.

"Chudley Cannons bad," Harry assessed. "Another frame-up. 12 dead, and they want your head."

Sirius whistled low. "Go me."

"Wotcher Sirius!" Tonks called, reminding the boys of her presence. Sirius stared hard, trying to remember her. A minute passed before:

"Dora!" he cried. "What in seven holy hells are you doing here?" In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the trio had a pleasant conversation about current events. Sirius agreed to come with Harry to Lovegood Getaway. Ron was Secret-Keeper, and he had given Harry some notes to tell the other two where to find the Getaway.

Night was falling as Sirius was getting settled in. As Harry was about to leave, Padfoot asked the burning question.

"Harry? How do you know so much? You know how to Apparate, I know it. You know about politics and how to overthrow Fudge's Ministry for Merlin's sake! How?"

"Sirius," Harry started. He noticed Tonks looking at him oddly too. She was just there for the night, catching up with Sirius. "I'll explain one day. To both of you. You'll find out, and trust me, it's a good story that I hope to repeat four times at the most."

Harry Apparated back to Hogsmeade, taking the Honeydukes passageway up to the castle. The Halloween Feast was due to start in fifteen minutes, so Harry had to rush up to the Room of Requirement, where Ron and Hermione were practising spells.

"Harry! How did it go?" He explained the day's events to his friends, and the Trio headed down to the Great Hall for the Halloween Feast. After a nice feast, it was time for the Champions' great reveal:

"The champion for Durmstrang," Dumbledore read, voice loud and clear, "will be Viktor Krum!" The hall burst into applause and cheering, and Krum slouched off to the small chamber off to the side of the Great Hall.

A second piece of parchment flew out of the Goblet of Fire. Dumbledore caught it deftly and read it out:

"The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!" More applause, and gawking from the male population. Harry and Ron, both trained into knowing Fleur as Bill's wife, didn't gawk, just clapped politely.

Next up was the Hogwarts champion: "The Hogwarts champion..." Oh, the suspense. "...is Cedric Diggory!"

Cedric waved to the school as he waltzed from the end of the Hufflepuff table and towards the chamber. Harry, Ron and Hermione cheered for him along with the 'Puffs.

"So, are we visiting their party tonight?" Ron asked.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore said happily. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real-"

The Goblet regurgitated another slip of parchment, and Harry winked to his friends. Now came the maelstrom.

Dumbledore paused, before reading out the name: "Harry Potter!"

No applause. No cheering. Just an angry buzzing of pissed off students. It was like the first time his name came out, only a lot funnier.

Ron laughed out loud, and most of the Gryffindor Table looked at him like he was insane. Hermione looked indifferent, and Harry tried to appear shocked.

Up on the Head Table, McGonagall, Bagman and Karkaroff were whispering with Dumbledore. After the short conference of the four, Dumbledore called out again.

"Harry Potter! Up here, if you please!"

Hermione and Ron gave Harry reassuring looks, and the Fourth Champion made his way to the front of the Great Hall, a little wary of the murderous glances he was getting.

Harry made his way into the small chamber with a confident stride, ignoring Dumbledore. Once inside the chamber, he found the other three champions.

"What is it?" Fleur asked. "Do zey wwant us back in ze Hall?"

"Oh yeah. Do I look like a messenger boy to you?" Harry snapped. Fleur reeled a little, and followed up with a glare. It was actually kind of hot. Veela anger and all that.

Bagman entered the room, smiling widely. Harry resisted the urge to sell him out to the goblins a few months earlier. "Extraordinary! Absolutely extraordinary! Gentlemen and lady... may I introduce you to the fourth Triwizard champion?"

Krum straightened up, surveying Harry. Cedric was looking confused, and Fleur laughed, and said, "Oh vairy funny joke Meester Bagman."

"Joke?" Bagman repeated. Harry snorted. The whole Triwizard was a joke. It was would only be slightly more of a joke if Luna's theories on Footfluff Flamingoes was correct.

"I told you I wasn't a messenger boy," Harry reminded the French girl. Krum and Cedric just looked bewildered.

Fleur blinked. "There 'as been a meestake!" she cried. "'E cannot compete. 'E is too young."

"Right here!" Harry growled. "And this is a binding magical contract Delacour. I have no choice."

Fleur rounded on him. "Oh, so was zat part of your leetle plan?"

Harry rolled his eyes, and didn't comment. Technically, as in, 'put me under Veritaserum' technically, it was part of the plan this time around.

"Well... it's still amazing," Bagman said. Fleur glared at him.

"You are saying zat zis little boy is to compete also!" Harry had had enough, and he whipped his wand out, taking aim. Before anyone could stop him, he had already hit the French girl with a high powered Stinging Hex.

"Whoops," he bit out. "I guess I just accidentally hit you with a Stinging Hex, because I'm an undisciplined little boy!" Fleur recovered from her Hex, and made a move to reach for her own wand. Harry just fleetingly thought if Bill would need to get a new wife this time around. Maybe he could set him up with Tonks...

Just then, Dumbledore, Crouch (Who looked tired as hell), Karkaroff, Maxime, McGonagall and Snape entered the room. Harry pocketed his wand, trying to appear non-threatening.

Fleur made a move to protest about Harry again, but she caught the look in the Boy-Who-Lived's eyes. She cowered properly.

"What is ze meaning of zis, Dumbly-dorr?" Maxime asked.

"I'd rather like to know that myself, Dumbledore," Karkaroff said icily. He and Maxime went on a little bit about breaking the rules and all that, and Harry didn't do anything until Snape spoke.

"It's no one's fault but Potter's, Karkaroff," said the King Grease Bat. Harry's wand was back in hand before anyone could blink, and Snape was Silenced. He glared hatefully at Harry, trying to undo it. Oh yeah, Harry's Silencing spell was sort of maybe Dark-ish, and Snape wouldn't talk for the rest of the evening.

"Thank you Severus," Dumbledore said firmly, not noticing that Snape was unable to talk. As the Potions Master struggled, Dumbledore looked directly at Harry, probing his mind. "Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire, Harry?"

Harry surprised the old man by slamming Occlumency shields in place. "Nope."

Dumbledore blinked slowly. "Did you ask an older student to put it into the Goblet of Fire for you?" Again, he attacked Harry's shields.

"Nooooo..." Harry dragged out the 'o', as if talking to a small child.

"Ah, but of course 'e is lying!" cried Maxime. Snape was still trying to break Harry's spell. Harry still had his wand in hand, pointed discreetly at Snape.

"He could not have crossed the Age Line," said McGonagall sharply. "I am sure we are all agreed on that."

"Dumbly-dorr must 'ave made a mistake wiz ze line!"

Dumbledore had broken eye contact with Harry, deep in thought.

"Harry," Dumbledore said eventually. "Are you sure you didn't enter your name in the Goblet?"

"I did not enter my name in the Goblet," Harry affirmed. Dumbledore was flying blind, what with no access to Harry's mind. Turns out Dumbledore still had faith in Harry's word, as he didn't pursue further.

Bagman and Crouch told the Headmasters and Headmistress that it was a binding legal contract, no matter how Harry's name got in the Goblet. Karkaroff and Maxime got a little pissy, but thanks to Moody, they didn't get many shots in.

"Someone put Potter's name in that Goblet knowing he'd have to compete if it came out," Moody told the crowd. Harry just admired the man's acting skills for a moment. "Maybe someone's hoping Potter is going to die in this Tournament. Why else would they put him into it?"

"But zat is if Potter is not lying!" Maxime snapped. She was getting increasingly frustrated. Harry couldn't wait to hear her reaction when she found out about him hexing Fleur.

Moody and Karkaroff bickered for a bit. Harry thought that Moody wanted Karkaroff dead as much as he did, but for different reasons. A secret fantasy of Harry's was for Crouch Jr, Karkaroff and Snape to get in a three-way duel, and then Harry finishes off all three. What a fun day that would be.

After Moody insinuated that Karkaroff was a Dark Wizard, Dumbledore stepped in.

"Alastor!" he said warningly. Harry stared hard at the man for a second, remembering that Moody had been an imposter under the Headmaster's nose for a whole year. Kind of stupid considering Dumbledore and Moody were old friends. "How this situation arose, we do not know."

The room at large just listened. Harry himself was getting tired. "It seems to me, however, that we have no choice but to accept it. Both Cedric and Harry have been chosen, and will have to compete in the Tourament."

"But Dumbly-dorr -"

"My dear Madame Maxime, if you have an alternative, I would be happy to hear it."

Dumbledore waited, but Maxime and Karkaroff did not speak up. They just glared unpleasantly, matching Snape's one. He was still trying to break free of Harry's hex.

The champions were dismissed a few minutes later, after hearing about the First Task and some general information. Harry and Cedric left together, and Harry decided to have a chat with Cedric.

"Cedric?" he said. The Hufflepuff turned to face him. "First off, I'm sorry. I mean, I don't want to take your glory and all that..."

"I know that," Cedric reassured. "You don't like attention, that's true."

"Yeah about that. I might need some help from you..."

"How?" Cedric questioned.

"I didn't put my name in the Goblet. We both know that. However, how many people in your House are going to believe me? I mean, the 'Puffs looked majorly pissed back in the Great Hall," Harry explained. Cedric's eyes brightened.

"Oh right!" he exclaimed. "I didn't think about that. So, should I tell them about what Professor Moody theorised?"

"Yes please. I'd come with you to the Hufflepuff Common Room and tell them myself, but I have my own House to shut up."

"All right then. See you around Harry."

Cedric wandered of to his Common Room, while Harry thought about how to handle his own House. Gryffindors were a slightly rash bunch, and they would some light threatening. Probably.

"That was sweet of you Harry," said Aimee, appearing out of nowhere. Harry looked around - he spotted the tapestry she was hiding behind. For once, Aimee was looking serious. Kind of, anyway. "I thought you would've threatened him."

Harry sighed. "Hi Aimee. Want to grab a drink?" Drinking with Aimee sure beat telling Gryffindor House to go fuck themselves.

She nodded. "You look like you need it."

"Europeans Aimee! They're all insane or very stupid." The two were trekking down to the kitchens. Thanks to Dobby, Harry had an in with most of the House Elves, who didn't mind him and Aimee using the kitchens. Dobby was the one who usually bought the alcohol.

Aimee giggled. "Sucks doesn't it? Someone's trying to kill you or something." She was very perceptive, as Harry found out. That's how she had guessed Harry had something to do with Quirrell's death. Oh yeah, Harry had explained about Quirrell being possessed by Voldemort during one of their meeting sessions.

"Kill me sounds about right," Harry said glumly. "But, it happens yearly, so I'm not so surprised."

Aimee had also heard some basic stories about Harry's second and third years. Not enough to warrant any magical oaths, but enough to get a general idea about how the Boy-Who-Lived operated and why. She gathered Harry's drinking was just for repression purposes, which was a very astute.

The two took their usual seats in the kitchen, and Harry called Dobby.

"Would Harry Potter and his Slytherin mistress like the Firewhisky?" the elf asked. Harry and Aimee simultaneously nodded.

"So, what's the reaction in the Slytherin Common Room?" Harry asked, taking a swig from his bottle. "Angry, jealous, mad, impressed or happy?"

"Well," Aimee started. "Malfoy is jealous, but he's hiding it well. The older years are a little indignant, they like Diggory. And... there are a few who think you're playing the entire school. But those people are the ones who have thought you are actually a mastermind underneath it all. They don't count."

"Nutters," Harry mumbled. He cleared his throat. "The Sorting Hat wanted me in Slytherin actually. But I'm not that much of a mastermind."

"Really?" Eyebrows raised. Harry would always get that reaction. "Too bad you weren't."

"No it wasn't. Before you, I was very sure all the Slytherins in my year were pricks. I was half right, what with Malfoy, Nott and Pansy."

"Aww," she pouted. "It would have been so nice to talk to someone smart in the common room."

"So sorry," Harry said dryly. "What about you? I never really got a scope of how you interact with your house mates... apart form sarcastic commentary."

Aimee didn't reply right away, looking serious again. Actually, Harry could've sworn she looked kind of sad. "Well," she hesitated. Harry guessed she didn't want him to get an insight on her life. "I don't really get along with the Slytherins too much, but that's just how the House works. Slytherins form connections, not friendships. About halfway thought last year I realised that most of them are all shallow pricks."

Harry snorted. "I'll drink to that."

"So I don't really get along with them. I'm good friends with several of the Ravenclaws, and working on some Hufflepuffian friends. And you, Ron and Hermione will do me for Gryffindor."

"Definitely. We are great people aren't we?"

Aimee laughed lightly. "Come on, I think you should get back to your common room. You know, before I owe you more money." Both cracked up a little, but Harry didn't return to his common room until two hours later.

The slightly inebriated Harry found himself waltzing into Gryffindor Tower easily, using Occlumency to block out any drunk inhibitions. When he arrived, the people still awake in the Tower just stared at him.

"Evening," Harry said, tipping an invisible hat. "Fun party? I was at the 'Puff party. Let me tell you, no one throws a party like the 'Puffs do!" Several people tittered, but most look pissed at Harry's joke.

"How did you do it?" Lee Jordan asked excitedly. "How did you put your name in the Goblet Harry? Age Potion?"

"I could tell you Lee, but I would have to kill you." The room collectively winced. Harry's wand was in hand already, just in case. "But I will advise that if you wish to cross an Age Line, you need fourteen roosters, two virgin witches and six pints of Unicorn blood. From there, you sacrifice the roosters and the witches, stir their blood into the Unicorns', and just wait for the Age Line to let you through."

Again, the room of people just stared at him.

"Or someone else can do it for you!" he snapped. Tough love never hurt anybody. "Come on you idiots, someone else put my name in without me doing it! I'll take Veritaserum to that! So fuck anyone who thinks I did it by myself, and fuck their mothers if they don't believe me when I say that someone put my name in the Goblet to kill me!"

Ron and Hermione, over in the corner of the room, gestured up the dormitory stairs.

"Enjoy your party," Harry said cheekily, moving the crowd apart by holding his wand threateningly in front of him. Once in his room, he gratefully collapsed onto his four-poster.

"So fuck anyone who thinks you did it by yourself, and fuck their mothers if they don't believe me?" Ron cackled. "You have a new T-shirt quote."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't care. Tomorrow is a new day folks, and I won't be here. Which one of you is coming with?"

"Ron is," Hermione said. "You're going to kill some people, and I prefer to hang back and tell the masses that you and Ron went flying over the Forbidden Forest as stress relief."

"Agreed then. Ron, are we going to have some fun tomorrow?"

Ron grinned evilly. "I always wanted to kill Umbridge. Never got a chance to last time." Of course, when entering the room, Hermione had carefully checked for any listening charms and set up wards. The Trio were not that stupid.

"I'm thinking of carving 'I must not tell lies' into her sternum," Harry muttered, getting sleepy. His Occlumency shields were down, and things were fuzzier than before.

Hermione shook her head. "Well, goodnight. Have fun tomorrow."

"We will," the boys chorused, as Hermione left. Ron went off to get ready for bed, while Harry fell asleep.

..::..--.--..::..

Meanwhile, Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office, sucking on a lemon drop. Things had gotten complicated when Harry's name came out of the Goblet. Extremely complicated.

While Albus decided that Moody's theory about someone wanting to kill Harry was very valid, he couldn't help but think that Harry was becoming a Tom Riddle clone. Ever since he had met Sirius, Harry had been more sarcastic and spiteful, especially towards the once-worshipped Headmaster. Albus had also noticed that Harry had taken to lying and deceiving him.

Then there were the acts of advanced magic. Harry suddenly becomes a Potions Master, just to antagonise Severus Snape? Harry's magic becomes effortless to perform in class? Producing a fully formed Patronus? These were all rather suspicious things in the mind of Albus Dumbledore. But, recent events were really starting to gnaw at him.

One, Harry could throw off the Imperius with no effort. Two, Harry had somehow learnt Occlumency and blocked Dumbledore himself from entry. And three, Harry had displayed savvy and been shrewd about the Triwizard Tournament, as if he was expecting it to happen. Had he entered himself in and was lying? Deep down, Dumbledore was worried for the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One of Trelawney's prophecy.

"Headmaster sir?" asked a squeaky voice. The major-domo House Elf, Leon, was standing before Dumbledore's desk. Albus simply plastered a smile on his face.

"Leon! How may I be of assistance?"

"Heamaster sir, we cannot get into the Hufflepuff Common Room to clean up sir! They is having an all-nighter party sir!" Leon squeaked. Dumbledore smiled somewhat condescendingly down at him.

"I'm sure those students will be sent to bed soon by Professor Sprout. Was there anything else Leon?"

Leon, being the Head Elf, didn't actually hang around the kitchens much. Instead, he was mostly locked in his tiny office, directing his elves and reporting to Dumbledore every now and then. However, he was in the kitchens tonight, inspecting his elves. He was there when two humans were, and he thought Dumbledore would want to know.

"Headmaster sir, there were students in our kitchens tonight sir, after you dismissed them from the feast sir. I was there inspecting the elves sir, and sir, I found two students in our kitchens. They was drinking sir. Firewhisky I think sir."

Dumbledore didn't really see why the elf didn't just report to McGonagall, but he continued to smile. "Who were they Leon? I will happily report them for smuggling alcohol into this school, if that is what you wish."

Leon nodded furiously. "Yes sir. They were fourth years, one Slytherin and one Gryffindor. The Gryffindor was Harry Potter sir!" Dumbledore internally slapped himself into attention.

"Would you please repeat that Leon?" he asked pleasantly. Harry Potter drinking in the kitchens with a Slytherin?

"Yes sir!" Leon squealed. "Aimee Moon and Harry Potter sir. They was their names sir."

Dumbledore stood up, and looked at the elf. "Thank you Leon, I'll take care of it from here." Leon bowed happily, and Apparated off. Albus went over to the fireplace and threw some Floo powder into it.

"Alastor Moody," he called. Moody was his second choice, behind Snape. But since Snape has been oddly quiet for the last few hours, Moody would have to do.

A few minutes later, Moody's head appeared in the fire. "Albus?"

"Can you come up here for a minute or two Alastor?"

"Sure thing," Moody grunted. He vaulted through the fire a minute later, wearing night clothes and not wearing his wooden leg. "What is it Albus?"

"Take a seat my friend. Would you like a lemon drop?" Albus and Moody took their seats, and Moody shook his head in reply.

"No Albus. What did you need?" A little bit more brisk than Moody usually was, but Dumbledore ignored that. It wasn't like Moody was an imposter or anything!

"Alastor, let me tell you some information that might be a little... daunting. I need a second opinion, a more vigilant one." So Albus explained his fears about Harry becoming Dark, citing recent examples. Moody's answer was brief.

"Don't do anything. You have theories Albus, but nothing concrete. Right now, you're grasping a little," he growled. "Let me watch the kid for a bit. See how he reacts to the Tournament. Maybe after the First Task we can see how he handles it. If it's too suspicious, we'll have to step in, correct?"

Albus nodded. He generally agreed, because having a confrontation with Harry is not what he wanted deep down. "Thank you for the advice Alastor. What shall I do about Miss Moon? She is a Slytherin, and her connection to the Death Eaters is worrying."

Moody snorted. "I'm a Slytherin too Albus. Or did you forget that? No, I say we leave her. The lad's obviously pining after her, and maybe that's why he's acting up. Leave it be Albus. Don't repeat your mistakes."

Albus bristled a little internally. He didn't do anything that couldn't be counted as part of the 'greater good'. That's what he believed anyway.

"Thank you Alastor. May we meet in a few days time and discuss how Harry has reacted to the Tournament?"

"Sure thing Albus." Moody hopped to the fireplace and Flooed out. Albus just sighed, leaning back in his chair and breathing deeply.

..::..--.--..::..

To be continued in Chapter Three....

..::..--.--..::..


	3. Chapter 3 :: Sleight of Mind

Disclaimer :: All things Harry Potter are owned by JK Rowling, and it would be quite an insult to her if I were to claim them as my own wouldn't it? Here we go!

To End in Serenity

Written by MattSilver

..::..--.--..::..

Rated because of coarse language, teenage drinking, violence, references to sex, sarcastic humour and slight out of character situations and personalities. You have been warned.

General Notes :: Harry, Ron and Hermione are referred to as the Golden Trio, or just the Trio. Note the capital 'T' when I refer to them. Get used to seeing that.

- Several lines and phrases from the actual books are used occasionally, mostly from the third, fourth and fifth books.

- The backstory of the war is based around some events of HBP and DH, but only basic plot things like Horcruxes and Dumbledore's death are mentioned.

..::..--.--..::..

Chapter 3 of 6 :: Sleight of Mind

..::..--.--..::..

"Okay, got the Veritaserum?"

"Check."

"Legal-grade dictation quill?"

"Check."

"Wands?"

"Check and check yours."

"Okay, let's rock and roll." Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were standing outside of the modest little home lived in by Delores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, and future coffin stuffer.

It was dawn, hours before Umbridge would head into work. The boys had Apparated over to Lovegood Getaway for breakfast. To their surprise, Tonks was still there, having stayed the night. This was advantageous for them, as they needed her to tell them where Umbridge lived. A quick trip to the Ministry later, and the boys were ready to go. Upon arriving at the Umbridge household, they were surprised; they had been expecting her house would be in a swamp somewhere.

"_REDUCTO!_" they shouted simultaneously. The pleasantly cream coloured door was blasted off its hinges and the boys stepped over it to enter the house. Harry took the lead while Ron placed some Notice-Me-Not wards. Umbridge did live in a Muggle neighbourhood after all.

"Delores!" Harry cooed, looking around. The house looked a lot like Umbridge's office at Hogwarts. It was pink and there were pictures of kittens everywhere. One wall in the kitchen was covered with kitten-shaped clocks, another with kitten picture calendars. "Where are you?"

"She's still around here. Up a floor I think," Ron said. He had finished his work, which also included Anti-Apparation, Anti-Floo and Anti-Portkey wards. The windows were also charmed unbreakable for good measure. Umbridge wouldn't be escaping this morning.

To provoke her into coming out, Harry blasted the kitten-shaped clocks with several Blasting Curses. Ron let him do his thing for a minute, before urging him upstairs.

"No killing yet," Ron reminded. He didn't like Umbridge either, but Harry loathed her with a passion. If Harry were a Dark Lord, Umbridge would be Cruciated to death. But since Harry was just an extremely powerful and morally grey wizard, Umbridge might only be missing a few limbs.

"What is the meaning of this?" Toad-face shrieked, appearing at the bottom of the staircase. She took one look at her intruders before pulling out her stubby wand. "I'll stop you!"

Harry chuckled. Quick as a flash, Umbridge's wand was at Harry's feet. "Got your wand!" he taunted, before stepping on the magical stick. "Whoops. Broke it!"

Umbridge gaped, open mouthed. She shut her eyes tight, trying to Apparate away. But she couldn't, and Harry and Ron just let her squirm a while.

"Going somewhere?" they said.

Delores scrambled up the stairs fruitlessly, but didn't get far as Harry's Blasting Curse had already destroyed the top of the staircase. Harry shot another one at her feet, blasting her backwards and into a nearby wall. Umbridge got back on her feet though, and ran for the living room, just opposite of the kitchen. Ron shot his own Blasting Curse, creating a hole in pale pink wall.

"Why are you doing this?" Umbridge wailed, trying again for the stairs. Harry just sent another Blasting Curse, destroying the cupboard under the stairs. Umbridge shrieked.

"How do you feel Delores?" Harry jeered. He was enjoying himself, letting that little dark passenger inside come on out. "Feel big now? Powerful? Feel good about yourself for ousting half-breeds?" Umbridge ran for the back door (Off the side of the living room), but was hit with an Impediment Jinx.

"Stop playing with her mate," Ron said. "We have work to do." And they did. Umbridge was tied to a chair in the kitchen. Veritaserum, bought from Knockturn Alley, came out from Harry's robes. Ron brought out the legal-grade dictation quill that would record the conversation.

"_Imperio_," Harry muttered, waking Umbridge up. She was hit by his spell, and couldn't really fight it. "Umbridge! Welcome back to the world of the living. We have some questions you should answer, you know. If you want to live, you will cooperate. Ron, activate the quill."

So, three hours later, the boys were standing over an unconscious Umbridge.

"So, when are we going to dispose of her?" Ron asked. Harry thumbed over the stack of parchments he was holding, loaded with insider information Umbridge gave them. He then reached a decision.

"Umbridge will be writing an introductory letter to the Daily Prophet. At the bottom, she will confess that she is running off to Mexico and will never be seen again. I'll wake her up and get the letter, you clean up the house."

Ron 'cleaned' Umbridge's house by destroying all her possessions, leaving bare furniture behind. The holes caused by the boys' curses were patched up and looked undamaged. Her clothes and personal possessions (ie kitten paraphernalia) were Vanished, because they didn't really have any other use for them. However, Harry shrunk all of Umbridge's kitten plates.

"Target practice," he told Ron. When the house was cleaned out, Harry and Ron flipped a coin to decide who gets to kill Umbridge. And thanks to some Wandless trickery, Harry won. Ron was resigned though.

"Not too much blood Harry." Harry advanced on the unconscious Umbridge and rolled her onto her stomach. He woke her up, bound her, then carved 'I must not tell lies' into her back. Ron used a Cutting Curse to underline the phrase, and the boys let her bleed out for a while, before Harry finished her with an experimental Dark spell.

"You turned Umbridge's blood into wine?" Hermione would ask later. Both boys would grin, and Hermione would deny a chance to hear about what they transfigured Umbridge into before throwing her into a Muggle woodchipper.

It was a kitten.

..::..--.--..::..

The 'Umbridge Confession' was a twelve page document with Umbridge's magical seal on it, making it legally binding, written by a dictation quill that was handed in as proof. The quill was under a charm to tell the truth, a lot like Veritaserum, but in quill format. So it was very difficult to claim what was written in Umbridge's confession as not truthful.

Umbridge knew a lot about Fudge's dealings. A lot, a lot. She recorded who bribed Fudge so that Fudge would know who to go to for 'help', and who would give him the most money for doing their dirty deeds. Umbridge kept most of these transaction documents paired with receipts taken from Gringotts. Luckily for Harry and Ron, most of these documents were in the woman's house.

The Daily Prophet covered it the next day, and what a coverage it was. Copies of the documents that told the world who Fudge got bribes off of were printed under big capital letters saying: 'Corruption of the Fudge Ministry!'. Multiple sources confirmed all that was written was not an elaborate trick, and arrest warrants were drawn up to be used later in the day.

Harry, Ron and Hermione had no time to cheer for their success though. They had left several names off of the document sent in to the Daily Prophet. Several former Death Eaters and sympathisers would try to escape the country if they read in the paper that the Auror Office were coming for them. The Trio knew exactly who they were, and spent the 2nd of November tracking them down.

Marco Bulstrode and Roderick Nott met in Knockturn Alley to discuss the damage done, and wondered if they were implicated in the Umbridge Confession. During their conversation, neither noticed the disguised Golden Trio sneaking up on them, invisible. They were swiftly Stunned, bound and Portkey'd to the Auror Office. They were both former Death Eaters, and generally not nice guys.

The Trio had Confunded Department Heads and Dark Lord sympathisers DeSilva and Parkinson into showing up for work and willingly turned themselves in, begging to be put under Veritaserum. Amelia Bones had a field day with the interrogations.

Wizengamot members Laura Marius and Alastair Thorne were found dead in their homes by arresting Aurors. The murderers weren't found, but a bit of spellwork implicated Marius killed herself and Thorne was killed by his son, who had already been arrested. That was not the truth, but the Trio weren't going to tell. As Ron would say, they had 'fought back'.

Cornelius Fudge visited Gringotts and withdrew his entire account before midday. The Trio had been alerted by several gossiping witches in the Leaky Cauldron, and they went to find the Minister. They found him at Heathrow Airport, disguised as a Muggle and trying to flee the country.

Unfortunately for the Minister, he was hit with a discreet Slug-Belching Hex, and ran to the nearest bathroom to vomit up slugs. After he was done, Harry took great pleasure in knocking him out the Muggle way, aka slamming the man's head into a toilet. Hermione secured Fudge's luggage thanks to some quick charmwork and posing as an MI6 Agent, and met up with the boys in the men's room.

The Trio took Fudge just outside Lovegood Getaway, beyond the Fidellius Charm.

"You can't do this to me! This is kidnapping!" he blustered, awakening during the Apparation ride.

"Hey Ron," Harry said non-chalantly, "Didn't Umbridge say the same thing before we killed her?"

"Indeed she did. Don't worry Cornelius, we're not going to kill you!" Ron assured. Just then, Sirius Black appeared out of nowhere.

"Hello Fudge."

"Sirius Black!" the Minister squeaked. "You were behind this all along! I knew it! You murdering son of a-" Points to the Minister for being an idiot. Sirius growled and punched Fudge in the face.

"Harry," said Sirius, turning to his amused godson. "How are we spinning this?"

"Apparation accident." It was kinda genius actually. The man officially splinched and killed himself while trying to flee the country.

Sirius was Obliviated of the event. There was no use giving him a trial where he would admit to being around seconds before the murder of Minister Fudge. He just wanted to punch the man, and the Trio couldn't help but acquiesce. Tonks was not there to punch her former boss either, as she was knee-deep in corrupt officials back at the Ministry.

Fudge's body was found in two parts, cleanly separated to indicate splinching. One half was at the stone steps of Gringotts, and the other was at Fudge Manor, lying next to a trunk filled with purged Galleons.

..::..--.--..::..

However, the Trio had done a very stupid thing on the 2nd of November. They had taken the day away from school to go 'fix' the Ministry. And, of course, it had been noticed that they were not at Hogwarts.

"Potter!" Snape sneered, running into the Trio in the Entrance Hall before dinner. "Dumbledore wants to see you, if you can take time from your precious schedule of being an arrogant-" Snape was cut off by Harry's specialised Silencing spell.

"Plan?" Ron asked, as the Trio ascended the Hogwarts staircases.

"Plan..." Harry said, thinking hard. "I was depressed about the whole Tournament thing, and decided not to go to classes. You followed me and tried to stop me, and that's why you missed class as well. Good enough?"

"No," Hermione countered, "But you'll think of something better on the way up the stairs right?"

"Mayhaps." Harry was still high on adrenaline from the day's events. He was involved in three deaths and four arrests after all. Busy stuff.

But, even with all that adrenaline, Harry was still slightly dreading a Dumbledore confrontation. Talking with Dumbledore was a lot like fighting on a battlefield. Two soldiers were guarding two bunkers, representing the human mind. Until his sixth year, Harry's bunker was totally see though, and Dumbledore would spot the truth out and load it into verbal grenades. When Harry was hit with those grenades, he would feel sheepish, guilty or angry that Dumbledore knew what he was thinking. Dumbledore's tactics in the rest of the battle were to deflect Harry's own grenades with carefully guarded answers, like hiding in foxholes in between attacking. Harry, meanwhile, would of relentlessly battered the man until the truth came out, or Dumbledore had tired him so much that he gave up and left the battlefield.

However, since coming back in time, Harry's bunkers had been solid and unbreakable, and his new weapon of balance-destroying sarcastic answers were rather effective. But, Dumbledore always steals his opponent's new weapons and builds a defence for it. Case in point, he would just chuckle at Harry's frankness or something along the lines.

Upon entering the Headmaster's office, Harry mentally checked his bunker for holes, and started to plan counterstrikes.

"Hello Harry," Dumbledore greeted cheerily. Shooting his opponent with an overly cheery bullet. Clever and off putting, but not for Harry.

"Professor." Carefully guarded. Those bullets would bounce off of Harry's body armour harmlessly. What Dumbledore didn't know was that Harry had a year full of Dumbledore confrontations back in the old timeline, and Harry knew most of the old man's moves.

"So, several of your teachers and fellow students informed me that you were not in the school today." No mention of Ron and Hermione yet. Dumbledore gets straight to the point without mentioning that he probably knew all along. Another defence of his was to not implement himself in anything that could be thrown into his face later.

"I bet you noticed first," Harry noted. A piece of shrapnel pierced Dumbledore's side - he wasn't ready for that one.

The Headmaster chuckled. He was stalling for a minute, cleaning up blood and stitching himself back up. Also, he didn't confirm or deny Harry's statement. "Harry, is there a reason for your disappearance?" Since he couldn't see through Harry's bunker, he would have to rely on good old fashioned guerilla verbal warfare. Harry was more than ready, and he didn't let his bunker falter.

"Of course," Harry replied. He answered the question, but didn't elaborate. Dumbledore doesn't like to have people elaborate, he thinks people should just surrender and tell all sometimes.

Dumbledore stared hard. His little soldier was lobbing mortars into Harry's bunker, begging to get in. Harry knew that the Headmaster was confused at why his moves weren't working. So, in a fit of kindness, Harry elaborated:

"I wasn't at Hogwarts for most of the day sir." It was true, but it didn't explain what Dumbledore wanted to hear. Even with Harry's bunker totally solid, Dumbledore had an uncanny ability to know if someone's grenades are filled with horse manure. He was a human lie detector even without Legilimency or magic.

"Would you mind telling me why you decided to break several dozen school rules and leave the school Harry?" Half accusing, half scolding. Dumbledore was still lobbing rather harmless smoke grenades because of Harry's age and the Headmaster's fondness for him, while Harry was moving to blow off the old man's feet.

"It's the Tournament sir," Harry said, rather meekly. He decided to change between sarcastic and meek schoolboy whenever it suited him. You know, really confuse the opponent a bit more. "I'm not sure if I can handle the pressure." First outright lie of the evening, and Harry wished he had come up with a better story. Dumbledore immediately dismissed his grenade as horse shit.

"Harry," he said delicately. But, he was figuring out his next move. It was at this moment when Harry backhanded the man with some of his own Legilimency. Dumbledore didn't feel a thing, or even notice as Harry peered into a small hole in the bunker. Looking inside, Harry read Dumbledore's emotions like a book - the Headmaster was worried about the radical changes of his weapon boy. Harry quickly retreated before Dumbledore woke up and started counterattacking.

It was time to get out of the war before he lost a foot. "Sir? I'm sorry I broke the rules, but I needed to leave sir. I only went flying above the Forest. It relaxes me you know?" Dumbledore's temporary little thinking spiel was abandoned to take the brunt of Harry's verbal bullets. Harry didn't know it, but Dumbledore interpreted the bullet in his leg as an accusing one. He thought that maybe Harry blamed him for not getting him out of the Tournament somehow.

"Of course Harry," Dumbledore said gently. He was trying to beat a hasty retreat before Harry could think that he got to his Headmaster. "However, I must insist you stay in the castle Harry, for your own safety." Dumbledore's horse shit grenades were a lot better hidden that Harry's, as they didn't smell as much. "50 points from Gryffindor." The points were taken as a sort of unseen throwing knife. However, the knife just deflected right off of Harry's armour again.

Harry smiled. "Is that all sir? I won't be doing it again." First part sarcastic, second part to be determined. Dumbledore would spend an hour nursing his wounds from this battle, and he would wonder how to treat some of them.

"And one week of detention with Professor Snape." This grenade was a lot like a flying creature, a bat maybe, and it flew into the air, sinking into Harry's neck before exploding in his face. However, the new, calculating Harry simply took the bat grenade and pocketed it for later digestion. Perhaps something good could come out of it, and it wouldn't hurt as much.

"Okay then. Starting when?" Paging Madam Pomfrey, Dumbledore almost fainted in shock. There were no complaints from Harry? Dumbledore knew of Harry's dislike of Snape, and thought the message would get across better this way. Harry, for his part, was looking mildly uninterested. This wound would be looked at a lot closer later when Dumbledore was alone.

"Friday night, Harry. Professor Snape will talk to you after that day's class." And with that, one last grenade was thrown, and it was harmlessly deflected. Harry walked out of the battlefield and Dumbledore's office, contemplating who actually won that battle. Harry probably shocked the man enough by willingly submitting to the punishment, and being calm about it. However, Dumbledore probably gleaned a lot of information about how his transformed opponent worked, and would be incorporating those changes into his theory about Harry turning Dark.

Psychological warfare over.

..::..--.--..::..

Ron and Hermione were waiting in the Room of Requirement, and decided to be weary of a post-Dumbledore Harry.

"How did it go?"

"Did you kill him?"

Harry glared a little at Ron. "I didn't kill him. Sorry."

Ron just shrugged, and Hermione re-asserted her previous question. "How did it go?"

"It was... short and illogical. He was testing me," Harry replied. "Why did he just target me? You two weren't mentioned at all, and he just doled out the punishment and ignored that I lied to him. He was expecting me to lie about where I was, and was testing my reaction to his punishment." Harry snorted. "50 points and a week of detention with Snape. Woe is me."

"Detention with Snape? I'd be depressed," Ron joked.

Harry shook his head. "No, no. I also backhanded Dumbledore with some of my own Legilimency. He didn't spot it, I think, but I picked up on what he was hoping to glean from our conversation."

"You're turning Dark?" Hermione questioned.

"Exactly. Try as I might, the changes between who I was before Sirius came along and who I am now are too different for Dumbledore. He would never suspect that I was a time traveller, because that's pretty far fetched really. No, Dumbledore's little test was basically to gauge my reactions and begin taking precautions."

"It's not really your fault," Ron said grimly. "Dumbledore's a perceptive one, and the three of us must seem overly different to him..."

Harry half-nodded. "But he's worried about me. Not you two. A Muggleborn who worships him and has a moral compass, and the jealous youngest son of a very Light family. You're not worth thinking about, no offence."

The other two in the Trio replied with a, "None taken."

"Detention with Snape will do me good," Harry decided. "Ron, we need to stock up on Veritaserum and do some good old fashioned torture/interrogation." Ron's grin increased tenfold.

Hermione 'moral compass' Granger struck again. "No Harry. I don't love Snape either, but no torture. We don't want any more suspicions do we?"

Harry and Ron shook their heads. Harry then picked up on something.

"Hermione?" The girl in question was all ears. "Where was that moral compass of yours when we took the day off school to go take out the trash?"

Hermione frowned. "Some things are more important than school, believe it or not. And I didn't think you would mind Harry, you were going to skip Divination anyway."

"Oh yeah."

..::..--.--..::..

The weeks leading up to the First Task were surprisingly boring around Hogwarts, compared to the drama out there in the Ministry. The corrupt and the Death Eating Ministry workers were ousted over time, after lengthy interrogations. There were calls for Amelia Bones to grab the Minister job. For his part, Harry was hoping she would get it, because at least there would be a decent person in the job, and she was the only one Harry knew that would maybe give Sirius a chance.

The Trio stepped back for a spell and let the Ministry fix itself, as it would do no good for Bones to piece together that someone or someones were helping them out by sending four people to their arrests and three to their deaths. Not a good thing.

On the school front, Harry noticed that Cedric, Fleur and Krum were looking more and more nervous as time went on. Harry was pretty unconcerned on the whole, as the Tournament was a means to an end for him, and getting past a dragon is surprisingly easy with a Firebolt. Cedric's little appeal to the Hufflepuffs had stopped any outright hateful glares Harry received last time, but Harry's own House weren't too supportive of him. He just guessed that they were pissed about the 'fuck your mothers' comment.

Anyway, a random Friday found Harry sitting in on his last detention with Snape. Unlike the other detentions he had had with the Potions Master, Harry was looking forward to it.

"Potter," Snape ordered, as he and Harry entered a classroom, "Tonight, the cauldrons need cleaning. By hand, and no magic. All ten of them will be done. If you get them done within five hours, I will supply another five for you to clean. Are we clear?"

"Totally," Harry answered. He whipped his wand out. "Unfortunately, you might not remember me doing this. So fuck you! _Stupefy!_" Snape was ready as soon as Harry's wand came out, and he dodged the Stunner. In reply, he sent a Bludgeoning Hex, aimed at Harry's head.

The hex missed, and Harry rapidly shot off Body-Binds. Snape's shield reflected all three, and he sneered at the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Is that the best you got Potter? I'll have you expelled for this!" Luckily for Harry, it wasn't his best. But, he had lost a coin toss, and Ron was the one that would take Snape down this evening. The invisible Ron crouched behind a desk in the middle of the classroom, waiting for his shot.

"Hey Snape!" Harry said, dodging a Stunner. "Your mother's fat!" Snape was temporarily thrown off by Harry's taunt, and didn't see the next hex coming.

Ron's hex had been aimed at the back of Snape's knee, and it hit it's mark, blood and bone erupting outwards and spraying on the dungeon floor. Snape fell to the ground, screaming bloody murder.

"_Silencio._" Ron said calmly. "I know Hermione said no damage, but this is fixable. I think."

Snape was tied to a chair a lot like Umbridge was, only with a messy-looking kneecap. Five drops of Veritaserum were used (Just in case he had natural resilience to it), and the questioning began.

Harry started the interrogation: "What is your name?"

"Severus Tobias Snape."

"What colour underwear are you wearing?"

"Black with white stripes."

"Boxers or briefs? Why?"

"Briefs. Because of your father."

"What did he do?"

"I don't know the details. I Obliviated myself of the event to block it out. That was 18 years ago."

"Brilliant. I got one Harry - Snape, have you ever wanted to be a vampire?"

"Yes, if only live forever to brew the greatest potions and study the darkest Dark Arts. Super strength would be a usefull skill to have."

"Would your vampire mate be male or female?"

"Either or."

"Enough, Ron. Snape, has Dumbledore asked you to watch me lately?"

No answer.

"Too vague Harry. Snape, has Dumbledore ever asked you to watch Harry for anything suspicious, and to report back to him?"

"Yes, the Headmaster has been taking my reports for three and a half years."

"Does the Headmaster like it when you call him Daddy?"

"I do not know. Perhaps you should ask him."

"Is Snape a foreign word for moron?"

"No. Snape is an old Mermish word for incontinent."

"Brill-iant. God, how much longer do we have here?"

"The Veritaserum you force-fed me with still has another twenty minutes."

"I didn't ask you."

"I answered."

"Git. Harry, got anything you'd like to say to this greasy bat? I got one! Snape, have you ever had sex with a woman? And... who was the unlucky gal?"

"There was this one-"

"Stop it Ron! I'm still thinking. Snape, is Dumbledore afraid of me going Dark?"

"The Headmaster has his suspicions, as do I. Upon finding out about your home life, the old man was worried a lot. He compared you to a Tom Riddle, and I do not know who that is."

"Voldemort. Anyway, what would Dumbledore do to stop me?"

"He would believe you would feel the guilt of whatever crimes you do, and would come back and be his pet."

"Really?"

"It is my theory, yes."

"Hmm... does Dumbledore know about my friendship with Aimee Moon?"

"I told the Headmaster that you seemed friendly, but he didn't seem to think it was a big deal. If you were to be closer, he would be certainly worried."

"Why?"

"Because Aimee Moon is a flight risk to his plans. Someone that could draw you into the Death Eaters."

"Aimee? But I'm doing worse to her than she is to me... is she related to any Death Eaters?"

"Miss Moon's family on her mother's side is related to several Death Eater families, as most purebloods are."

"Be specific. Are Aimee's parents Death Eaters?"

"No."

"Good. Are Aimee's uncle, aunt, cousin, or even grandparents Death Eaters or Voldemort sympathisers?"

"Aimee's uncle Christian Selwyn is a Death Eater. I do not know the entire family tree of her family, so I do not know any further."

"Fuck, she's Selwyn's niece. Think she'll be pissed we killed her?"

"Definitely."

"Shut up Snape, not talking to you. Harry?"

"Perhaps you should get my opinion."

"Shut it Snape. Ron, I'll talk to Aimee if I think it's a problem. Maybe Selwyn is a black sheep in her family. Snape, who else would Dumbledore go to if he was scared I was turning Dark?"

"Moody perhaps, or even McGonagall. He would want your teachers to keep a close eye on you."

"I'm betting on Moody though. Dumbledore would want some vigilance. What do you think, Ron?"

"Surprisingly astute for an arrogant, big-headed little-"

"Snape!" Silence, then, "Your mother's fat."

No answer.

"He doesn't know how to answer that. Hilarious."

No answer.

"Snape, I want to know your biased opinion here. Will Dumbledore try anything radical? Spike my food with Love Potion? Lock me in Azkaban? Anything like that to get me back under his control?"

"I do not know."

"All right, we have another few minutes. Get your final questions in now! Snape, do you think Draco Malfoy is a prat?"

"Yes, the boy is arrogant and full of himself, quite unbecoming of a Malfoy scion."

"Must be jealous of the hair..."

No answer.

"Actually, I'm not going to ask that question. Okay, let's see what else..."

Snape's interrogation was thoroughly erased from the man's protected mind, and the two students left the classroom half an hour later, after cleaning Snape's cauldrons for extra measure. Harry and Ron gleaned a horrible insight into Snape's personal life, which would make a decent Pensieve memory to show Sirius. Harry's new plan was to interrogate Moody next, but only if Dumbledore tested him again.

Oh, and Snape's kneecap was fixed, to Ron's disappointment.

Later that night, Snape would be called into Dumbledore's office to see how Harry's detention went. Snape would tell the man that Harry did nothing out of the ordinary, but Dumbledore noticed that the Potions Master looked a little out of it.

Ten minutes of Legilimency later, Dumbledore corrected assumed that Snape was Obliviated, and his first suspect was Harry Potter...

..::..--.--..::..

On Sunday, the 20th of November, a middle aged man appeared up in the Ministry of Magic's Atrium, a determined look on his face. Ted Tonks had been contacted by Harry Potter via his daughter, and solicited into helping his wife's cousin, Sirius Black, into getting his freedom. It was a tricky for Ted to arrange a meeting with the soon-to-be Minister Bones, but he had a meeting with her at 11 o'clock that day. Upon arriving at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Ted strode into Amelia Bones' office, holding out a hand and wearing a friendly smile.

"Amelia Bones, a pleasure to meet you."

"Yes, Mr Tonks was it?"

"Call me Ted. You received my missive I hoped?"

"Yes I did Ted, and I'm sorry it took this long to set this meeting up." Amelia Bones offered her guest a seat, and eyed the stack of parchments Ted was holding curiously. "Let's get down to business then."

"Thank you Madam Bones," Ted replied. Ted worked as a solicitor who took both Muggle and magical cases. Due to his status as a Muggleborn, he didn't get that many high profile magical cases, but he was popular for his Hufflepuff attitude towards things. "I have quite a story to tell you this morning."

Amelia's eyebrows raised slightly. "Oh yes?"

Ted smiled gently. "What I'm about to ask of you will not leave this room Amelia. Sorry to say, but it's pretty heavy stuff."

"Is that a threat, Mr Tonks?"

Ted shook his head. "I know where Sirius Black is, and I know he's innocent."

Amelia shot out of her chair. "What?"

"You heard me," Ted said calmly. "I spoke to the man myself, and rest assured, he's totally innocent. I'm here to appeal you for a back room trial."

"A back room trial? For Sirius Black?" Amelia asked. "On what grounds?"

"Please, Amelia," Ted said patronisingly. "A full Wizengamot trial would only happen when the real murderer was caught, and until then, Mr Black cannot be properly tried. But, an under the table interrogation by the DMLE Head and future Minister of Magic... it would free my client and you could focus on hunting down the real killer and bringing him to justice. We don't draw attention to the real murderer that we're onto him. Your people can stop hunting Sirius and start doing things right."

"Mr Tonks, I know who you are married to. Andromeda Black spent five years lobbying for a trial, and I regret to say I didn't enforce the issue with Fudge in charge. Is it because of Fudge's untimely death that you are here today?"

Ted half-nodded. "That and the fact I actually found out Sirius was innocent. A concerned friend of the family found him and brought him to us. Using my friend's Pensieve, we confirmed his stories."

"Bring him in then," Amelia challenged.

"We don't trust you Amelia. You lost 7 of your Aurors and you believe he is to blame there correct? What would stop your other Aurors taking revenge the moment my client walks into the Ministry?"

"True," Amelia said. "What do you want then?"

"Your oath," Ted said simply. "I will bring in Sirius Black and my concerned friend I mentioned earlier, who you may be familiar with. The trial with be between yourself, a trustworthy scribe, one of your best Legilimens, an Auror guard or two just in case you deem our story false, and one of your trusted advisors."

"Done. I, Amelia Susan Bones, hereby vow to..." She listed off the conditions Ted gave. Ted Tonks and Harry Potter had spent an hour hammering out those conditions. More than anything, they hoped Amelia would accept because of curiosity for the truth and justice rather than a sting plan to capture Sirius Black.

"When are we doing this Mr Tonks? I can clear my schedule for this afternoon..." Amelia asked upon finishing the Oath.

"Right now. Get your people in here, and I'll return in half an hour. Before I go, I have a list of people that I do not want in the meeting. Persons of interest and supporters of someone my client doesn't want to know."

Amelia took the parchments Ted was holding, and read over some of the names. "Kingsley Shacklebolt? Albus Dumbledore? John Dawlish? May I ask why one of my top Aurors, the Wizengamot Head and a low level Auror such as Dawlish are on top of this list?"

Ted smiled condescendingly again. "Once you hear Sirius' story, you may be singing a different tune about several people on that list. Until then, Amelia."

Ted left the office, and strolled over to his daughters' cubicle in the Auror Department. "Dora, we are a go. Just thought you might want to know."

Ted Tonks Apparated to his home in Brighton, where his wife, Sirius Black, and Harry Potter were waiting. Harry was the first to ask:

"How did it go?" Ted smiled and explained what occurred in Amelia's office.

"Always count on the Tonks family," Harry joked. He gave a cautious look to his godfather, who looked pale and nervous. However, he didn't look like an escaped prisoner, being a little more nourished and clean shaven.

"We're not in the clear yet Harry," Sirius reminded him. "There's a good chance Amelia might try something. Ted, did you get that vibe?"

"No I didn't. Amelia's fair Sirius, you know that right? I know you haven't really talked to her..." Amelia Bones was in her seventh year at Hogwarts when Sirius was in his first, so they didn't really know each other much. She was working as a clerk in the DMLE when Sirius was training to become an Auror, but paths never crossed.

"You'll forgive me for being a might twitchy," Sirius said darkly. "But I am glad that idiot Fudge got what was coming to him." Beside his godfather, Harry coughed.

"He splinched himself Sirius," Andromeda reminded him. Sirius grinned.

"And what a way to die." While Ted went over with Sirius the do's and don't's, Harry was accosted by Andromeda.

"So Harry... are you nervous about the First Task?" Today was a Sunday, and the First Task was the coming Thursday, but Harry was as cool as a cucumber. He and Andromeda talked idly until Ted's watch beeped.

"Time to go. Sirius, if you would..." Sirius promptly changed into Padfoot, and Harry laughed. Two humans and one dog looked at him curiously.

"Oh, I'm just imagining Amelia's face when you transform."

When Ted Tonks, Harry Potter and a large Grim-like dog appeared in the DMLE, there was quite a stir. But Harry was used to that reaction by now, so just ignored the stares and the pointing. There was no Rita Skeeter to write trash about Harry, but there were still acid-writing reporters out there that couldn't turn into beetles. As such, some of Harry's most recent attitudes towards the Tournament have become third page news.

"Harry Potter?" Amelia asked when the trio entered her office. "Mr Tonks, is this some kind of joke?"

"No it is not Madam Bones. Sirius Black is the boy's godfather after all, and why wouldn't the man try and explain his innocence to him?" Amelia nodded, and introduced the others in the room.

"Our Auror guards, Auror Tonks and Auror Proudfoot. My scribe, Penelope Clearwater, my advisor Rufus Scrimgeour, and the best Legilimens interrogator in the country - Robert Cunningham." Harry gave polite nods to them all, and a wink to Tonks. He didn't know much about Robert Cunningham, but the man appeared professional and serious.

"Let's begin then." With that, Padfoot became Sirius Black, and six wands were pointed to him immediately. He smiled sheepishly.

"Boy do I have a story for you..." And he did. Over five hours passed when Sirius, Ted and Harry walked out of the office, Sirius in Padfoot form. Amelia herself had administered the Veritaserum to Sirius, Ted and Harry, getting their stories and searching for any sign of elaborate setup. Sirius showed them his memories of becoming an Animagus with James and Peter, the day he changed Secret Keepers to Wormtail, and the day Wormtail blew up a street to escape. Also, Sirius showed them the memory of escaping the Aurors at the British Virgin Islands, and the theory of Imperius and sabotage was brought up. Amelia promised to interrogate Aurors Dawlish, Mueller and Yaxley, in order to further verify Sirius' story.

Harry recited a well practised story about how Sirius mentioned his relation to the Tonks', and how contacting Ted Tonks might be a good idea if Sirius was to be freed. In the end, Amelia and her people wrote the pardon, and let him go, with promise of a public trial with Peter was captured.

"We'll keep a good lookout for him Mr Black. And we will be compensating you when the full trial hits the public," Amelia had said, with Penelope Clearwater nodding in the background. All people privy to Sirius' story were appalled that Fudge didn't think about giving Sirius a trial, and Amelia looked rather apologetic. As the trio were leaving, Amelia said what they were all thinking:

"Dumbledore didn't either," she said. "He didn't lobby to get one of his best people of Azkaban or check for innocence? And he knew since June that Sirius was innocent. He did nothing. Why?"

Harry smiled grimly. "Me, Madam Bones. I know that it probably doesn't make sense, but I think it had something to do with me. What? I don't know, but if you find out, send me an owl."

Sirius, Remus, Harry, Ron, Hermione and the Tonks family retreated to Lovegood Getaway to celebrate Sirius' freedom. The Trio reunited with Remus, and subtly pushed him towards Tonks the whole time. Remus was suitably impressed with Harry's little planning towards getting Sirius off without hunting Pettigrew down, and Harry just asked for Remus to stick around and help Sirius around the Getaway. Remus would need to be there, as Harry was worried that Sirius would get drunk and go trolling for Muggle women, and maybe just accidentally reveal the existence of magic.

After the elder Tonks' left, Harry, Ron and Hermione gathered the three adults in the living room and sat them down.

"You asked for it, and now you get our story," Harry started.

Ron jumped in next. "We're from the future."

"Bullshit," Tonks and Sirius chorused.

Harry gestured to his bushy-haired friend, "Hermione, if you will?" She nodded and brought out the Pensieve. All three of them had placed relevant memories into the stone bowl earlier in the day, to be used in such an occasion.

The reel of memories started with Voldemort's resurrection and Crouch Jr's uncovering. It then skipped to Sirius dying, then Dumbledore explaining the Prophecy to Harry. Flash forward to a few years later, when the Trio defeated Voldemort in Serenity Valley. Two years after that, Hermione presented the problem of Voldemort's new Horcrux sent back in time, and her, Ron and Harry's subsequent preparation to travel back to the 90's. After showing off how the Trio arrived back in time and gave Ron his new body, some highlights of the war were shown.

The start of Harry's summer after Sirius died, in which he ran away from Privet Drive and stuck it to Dumbledore and then some. Some of the initial fights between the Trio about split loyalties between Harry and Dumbledore were showcased, as well as the all out duel between Harry and Ron. Harry won, and Hermione later found out that Dumbledore wasn't all powerful, and Ron figured out the hard way that he had nothing to be jealous of about Harry. A few memories showed Harry's sixth year, and the frosty relationship between the Trio. At Sirius' request, Harry showed a memory of him hooking up with Ginny, and the subsequent fight with Ron.

During Harry's sixth year, he learnt all about Horcruxes, fought with his friends, and slowly began plotting Dumbledore's death. He had had enough, and was starting to explore the Darker urges in his mind. Lucky for him that Snape did the deed, and Dumbledore was already dying from the ring Horcrux trap when Snape murdered the Headmaster. The summer after Harry's sixth year showed Harry breaking things off with Ginny (And them becoming friends with benefits only), the Trio training hard together, and the deaths of Neville Longbottom and the Weasley parents.

Seventh year was scattered. Hermione wanted to continue her education, but Horcrux hunting destroyed all chance of having a regular year. Hogwarts was the Trio's safe haven, a rest stop in between trips. It was during that year that Harry and Ron got specialist Auror training from Mad-Eye Moody, who would die in a skirmish later on. Hermione located the real locket Horcrux, and Ron came up with the idea of the Horcrux detector. Luna Lovegood was kidnapped at Easter, as she was in charge of the DA with Ginny. The Trio later found Luna dead inside of Malfoy Manor.

Using Ron's Horcrux detector, the Trio stumbled into the diadem Horcrux, and found out about the one inside of Harry. The Trio hunted down Severus Snape and learnt that Dumbledore intended Harry to die at Voldemort's hand, destroying the Horcrux inside. Snape was killed by Harry after the man proved he was playing all sides.

The Battle of Hogwarts was fought in May 1998, and many, many died when the castle toppled into ruin. Later visits from the Trio showed the Forbidden Forest growing over the old castle. Various other deaths were shown, including Bill and Fleur, Remus and Tonks, Ginny, Fred and George, Charlie, Percy... until the Trio were the only ones left.

The Trio used Bella Lestrange to break the cup out of Gringotts, and, by then, Hermione had created the Horcrux Killing Solution. Harry drank it, and nearly died, if not for some quick spellwork by his friends. The only Horcruxes left were Nagini, and Hermione's research indicated that Voldemort could not create any more. 7 was the most magically powerful number, and also a limit number when it came to creating Horcruxes. Witches and wizards were fleeing the country in droves, and the Ministry was totally disbanded. Voldemort and his people stuck to Muggle killing for some time, while looking to kill Harry Potter.

The Trio were all that were left of the Order of the Phoenix, and hid out at Lovegood Getaway for the next few years. They performed hit and run attacks, taking out the Lestrange brothers, Nott Sr, Rookwood, and the entire Malfoy line. In 2002, the American Ministry stepped in and tried to contain Voldemort lest the Dark Lord attacked America next. Their Aurors fought the good fight and did some damage, and the Trio decided to finish off Voldemort. Nagini was killed by pure chance when the Trio were scouting out Little Hangleton's graveyard.

The Battle of Serenity Valley was fought on July 31st, 2002, between just four wizards. Voldemort sacrificed the Muggle town to power up, create a very improbable Horcrux, and send it back in time. Harry destroyed him rather easily, thanks to Voldemort being a physical and magical mess after the sacrifice of Serenity Valley.

..::..--.--..::..

Sirius let out a low whistle. "Sucks to be you three huh?"

Harry grinned. "It's not too bad this time. We've got most of the Horcruxes handled, and Voldemort won't last past his resurrection. And we freed you."

Sirius hugged his godson. "And I am eternally grateful for that."

Tonks was just looking at Remus curiously - one of Ron's memories did show them married after all. "Wow. You three are like superheroes from the Muggle comics I used to read."

The Trio cracked up. "We have our strengths Tonks, but we have more flaws," Hermione said.

"Name them."

Ron ticked off his fingers. "You saw the memories of mine and Harry's fallout right? God, I was really impulsive back then. And jealous. And petty. Very, very rash too. Looking back, I'm surprised Harry didn't curse me a lot earlier. But, you know, I learnt a lot in our sixth year. As much as I didn't like being me, I would hate to be Harry."

Harry snorted, patting Ron on the shoulder. "Ron's problems aside, I was a little angsty, but with good reason sometimes. Rash acts and overconfidence ran hand in hand early in the war. I just wish I started drinking earlier. I found out some neat stuff about magical liquor, like the fact I don't get liver damage. Genius."

Hermione thought about it logically. "Dumbledore was a beacon of light to me, and it hurt to discover what a bastard he was. I was also a little addicted to following rules and sticking by a moral code. I still do, to stop these two from killing Snape every time we set foot in his class."

"She keeps us balanced," Ron said. Sirius chuckled.

"Whipped."

"Shut up Sirius.."

Sirius and Remus shared a long look, before Remus said slowly, "What happened to Peter? I didn't see any memories of him dying..."

"Yeah, I got to kill Peter," Ron said. "He tried to assassinate me one day when these two were raiding the Black Library. Almost had me, but I kicked him in the nuts and splattered his brains onto the wall before he could choke me with that damn hand."

Sirius and Remus nodded. Tonks got a question in. "You three were such teenagers back in your sixth year... what the hell caused you all to become good friends again? I mean, you all hated each other at one point."

Harry, Ron and Hermione shifted a little uncomfortably. They were not best friends until it was just them, surviving on necessity and being the only ones left to fight Voldemort. They also didn't want three other people, however how close they were to them, to know the personal things they went through. The deaths, the fights, the squabbling. And quite a bit of cursing.

"People died," Harry said after a moment. "It was probably Neville's death that made us all realise that we were fucked royally if we kept being at each other's throats. We worked fine during our seventh year, but the tension was still there for a little while."

"We missed the dream team," Hermione said softly.

Ron nodded, not saying anything. The room quietened for a few minutes, and Tonks decided to intervene.

"What's your plan this time around?" she asked curiously. "Are you going to capture Peter at Voldemort's revival?"

The Trio nodded, and Hermione answered, "Yep, he's getting jail time this time. Sorry, Sirius. But if you're lucky, he will be broken out or escape. Then you can go to Amelia Bones and request a temporary Auror license, and track him down."

"We'll see," Sirius said quietly.

"Fuck," Harry swore, checking his watch. "We better get back to school, before Dumbledore sends his hench-bat to get us."

The Trio said their goodbyes and left Sirius, Remus and Tonks to their devices. Said devices included drinking heavily and wondering how they knew people like Harry, Ron and Hermione. It was mind-boggling for them.

..::..--.--..::..

"You feeling this? Ready to rock and roll? Take the plunge? Walk the plank? Swim up shit creek without a paddle? Fly blind during a hailstorm? Fight the good fight with no arms? Walk through the fire and the flames?"

"Aimee, your concern for me is frightening."

"Oh I am worried." Her voice became serious, and she gave Harry an impulsive hug. "Good luck out there Harry."

"No kiss?" She acquiesced, giving a small peck on the check. "There's more luck in an open mouthed..." She just slapped him lightly on the arm, chuckling.

"Don't get too greedy. Slytherin Rule number 31." The Slytherin Rules were Aimee's personal code that she stole from the previous year's Slytherin Head Girl.

"Don't withhold the tongue, Potter Rule number 69," Harry replied cheekily.

"Don't whine. Slytherin Rule number 2." Slytherin Rule number 1 was that comparing snakes to penises was never funny.

"See you around Aimee," Harry said, enjoying the show of her walking away, back turned to him. "I'll be in first place, watch me!"

It was the day of the First Task, and Harry had already placed his Firebolt strategically up a tree in preparation. Also, he had given Cedric a friendly warning about the dragons the week before, and recommended that distracting the dragon with dogs won't work, to the 'Puff's confusion.

Upon arriving inside the tent holding the other champions, Harry felt some extreme déjà vu. Fleur was looking pale and clammy, sitting in one corner. Krum was looking his regular surly self, and Cedric was pacing. Harry just ignored them all, leaned against a wall, and awaited Bagman's speech.

"Harry! Good-oh!" Bagman said happily. "Well, now we're all here - time to fill you in!" he continued brightly. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag," - Bagman held up a small sack containing the dragon figures - "from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too... ah yes, your task is to collect the golden egg!"

The champions are acknowledged they understood, and Harry could hear the audience assemble into the stadium. Bagman, smiling like an idiot, offered the bag to Fleur.

"Ladies first," he said. Fleur put a shaking hand into the bag and pulled out the Welsh Green figurine. Krum took the Chinese Fireball, and Cedric drew the Swedish Short-Snout. Harry just shook his head in defeat, drawing the Horntail.

"Well there you are!" said Bagman. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you will take on the dragons. Now, I'm going to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, right? Now, Harry, can I have a quick word with you... outside?"

Harry glared at him. "Find your own way to pay off gambling debts that doesn't involve me, Ludo." Bagman paled, and the other champions temporarily forgot about their nervousness and looked at the two.

Bagman nodded, and exited the tent hastily. Minutes later, Cedric left the tent when the whistle was blown. Harry calmly stood in the tent, practicing some Occlumency exercises.

"Don't do anything flashy, don't do anything to bring extra attention to you. Do not do anything flashy. Harry James Potter, if you do something flashy, you will quit drinking for a month! And you will watch Aimee get drunk and laugh at her you will, but you will want a drink as well! It will be torture Harry James, so nothing flashy you got!" Harry said to himself. During his rant, both Fleur and Krum had left the tent to face their dragons. "Whoops."

Harry heard the whistle blow, and started blocking off all sounds. The crowd, which also had Remus, Tonks and Sirius (In Padfoot form), was blocked out. Ludo's commentary was blocked out. All that mattered was Harry and that monster Horntail.

Upon entering the enclosure, Harry took two quick steps forward and yelled:

"_ACCIO FIREBOLT!_" The broom came flying through the air from a nearby tree, though not many noticed. Harry caught and mounted it. Upon doing so, he temporarily forget his little rant earlier, and decided to be flashy. Just for once, he wanted to go up against a dragon and come out unscathed, and a plan was formed.

"Diversionary tactics! _Accio chains!_" The Summoning Charm would not summon the chains holding the Horntail in place, but they would move about enough for the dragon to get angrier. Angry was bad, but it was part of Harry's plan.

He kicked off on the Firebolt, letting the chains rattle the dragon up while he flew upwards. He eventually started a slow dive back down and decided on another spell:

"_Confringo!"_ His Blasting Curse blasted the dragon's neck, not causing much damage. Harry didn't intend to blast a hole in his dragon, so kept his spell low powered. He continued his descent to the ground, and noticed that the dragon was dangerously close to stepping on the eggs as Harry flew towards it.

He sent his strongest shield to protect the eggs, and the dragon's feet were electrocuted upon contact with the eggs. Harry kept the shield up, and concentrated little power into his next volley.

"_Diffindo! Confringo! Reducto!_" Anyone in the crowd would've told Harry that attacking a mother dragon was totally stupid, but it was all part of the plan. A very poorly designed plan, but Harry didn't want shoulder scars this time around. He shot a few more spells at the dragon's snout for good measure.

The Horntail took the spells, and its jaw snapped at Harry's direction. Harry's descent on the Firebolt was ended when Harry used a Disillusionment Charm on himself, turning invisible. He jumped off the broom, banishing it into the dragon's jaw. As the Horntail widened its mouth to swallow it, Harry was already on the ground, and grabbed the golden egg. Harry sprinted to the other side of the enclosure, and waited for his broom to go into the dragon's mouth. Once it did, he put all his power into his last spell.

"_Accio Firebolt!_" The Firebolt, still undigested, came bursting through the hard scales on the Horntail's bottom jaw, leaving a broomstick-shaped hole. The dragon fell to the ground in pain, and Harry became visible again, catching the broomstick.

"Got the egg!" He shouted to the crowd. Sound suddenly came back to him, and he heard a lot of stunned cheers and Bagman's excited commentary. The uninjured Harry walked out of the enclosure and to Madam Pomfrey's tent, holding the golden egg and a blood-covered Firebolt.

The trick of Harry's new plan was to out-do his last attempt at getting that egg. He wanted the dragon to be distracted while he grabbed the egg, so as not to get swiped with a tail. By shooting useless spells, Harry was showing the crowd that he could, while he shot some non-verbal Scent-Blocking Charms and Befuddlement Hexes at the dragon's extremely powerful nose. While Harry was invisible and the dragon was trying to eat his Firebolt, the dragon couldn't even smell Harry grabbing the egg until it was too late. Poking a hole in the Horntail's jaw was just for fun, and a totally unexpected outcome. In fact, he was already resigned to losing his broom to the dragon's stomach.

Yeah, it was a little flashy, but he wasn't giving up the alcohol.

"'Ou broke your rules," Fleur told him as he entered the tent. Harry just looked at her confused while Madam Pomfrey bustled around Krum's bed. "When you were talking to yourself, you were teelling yourself not to be fleeshy. You broke zose rulez."

Harry smiled at her. "How did you do Fleur?" She laughed lightly, and Madam Pomfrey came up to Harry.

"You're not injured?" she asked hopefully, daring it to be true.

"Sorry Poppy," Harry said, not sorry at all. "But my Horntail could use some fixing up, if you're offering your services." Madam Pomfrey clucked like a chicken, and starting scanning Harry with her wand.

"Blimey mate!" Ron exclaimed, entering the tent. He was followed by Hermione, Sirius, Remus and Tonks. "My brother is pissed off at what you did to his baby Horntail!"

Harry laughed. "Don't tell the judges, but my Firebolt suffered a beating." It sure did, and Harry's Firebolt wouldn't be flyable again. But it would make a nice trophy, especially if covered in Horntail blood.

"Shame that," Ron said. "Such a good broomstick, and you had to break it and a dragon's jaw in one go."

Harry pouted uselessly. "I'm not sorry. Oh, sorry Padfoot. Your present and all that."

Padfoot/Sirius barked once, indicating he was okay with it.

Tonks was looking at Harry with awe again. "Are you sure you're not a superhero?"

"Nope, just an idiot kid," Harry replied. He was wondering how Dumbledore was going to react. The old man would definitely be pushing Harry again, and Harry may have to push back and then some. The Headmaster may be retiring into a coffin by the end of the school year.

The group laughed, and headed outside to get Harry's score (Pomfrey had apparently thought he would be coming in injured, hence the later score check). Maxime gave Harry an 8, Karkaroff gave him a 6, Crouch gave him a 9, Dumbledore gave a 9, and Bagman gave a 10. Harry was in first place, right in front of Cedric and Fleur, who were tied. Apparently, Krum was quite injured this time around, and wouldn't be winning any high places unfortunately.

Harry was the centre of attention at the Gryffindor Common Room, and they all begged him to open the golden egg. Harry refused, telling them all:

"Oh, so now you're interested in how I'm doing in the Tournament? It's funny, didn't you all hate me two hours ago?" A few kids looked sheepish, but Harry ignored them.

"So, Firebolts all round for Christmas?" Harry asked Ron, as Harry's now-defunct Firebolt was placed in his trunk carefully. Ron laughed.

"I have no money mate," he said without a trace of bitterness. In the last war, he had earned quite a bit of money after the Weasley family were wiped out, combined with bounty hunting he and Harry did. "Until I visit your Irish friend tomorrow."

"You didn't!" Harry said, shocked. Ron cracked up laughing.

"I did. I bet him that you would get first place after this Task. He took all the money I gave him, thinking it was a sure thing that you wouldn't. Sucks to be him then."

Harry shook his head. "Just so you know, he's very sensitive in the feet. Just in case he tries to filch you." Harry had had the pleasure of torturing the Irish man into giving some extra money in exchange for his toes back.

After changing out of his robes into a more comfortable shirt and jeans, Harry gathered the Map and Cloak and left the dormitory.

"Going drinking?" Ron asked.

"You know it."

Harry walked the uneventful walk to the kitchens, where Aimee was waiting for him.

"Impressive," she applauded. "I can see the headlines: 'Boy-Who-Lived a secret dragon killer?', or 'Boy-Who-Lived endorses Firebolts to great effect'."

"How about: 'Boy-Who-Lived kills smart arse Slytherin girl.'"

"Touché."

Dobby was called, and only Butterbeer was consumed, for starters. Conversation was light and teasing, and it made Harry wonder back to his interrogation of Snape. The Potions Master had informed Harry of Aimee being the niece of a Death Eater, and that Dumbledore would be very suspicious if Aimee came into the picture. But then there was the deal with Harry's own burgeoning feelings for Aimee...

It was a curious thing, Harry decided. Aimee was basically unknown to him. He never knew her back in the old timeline, and he enjoyed the company of someone new, someone that made him feel like a teenager again. Just for a few hours every third night or so, Harry was just a kid drinking and laughing with Aimee Moon. Harry liked the feeling, and came to a conclusion right there and then.

"Aimee?" She stopped her ranting about Malfoy's hair products.

"Yeah?"

"How would you like to go out with me sometime?" Harry asked, sounding more confident than he felt. "You won't know when or where," - he did. Yule Ball, Christmas holidays - "but I think I would like to, you know, go beyond drinking buddies status. What do you think?"

Aimee coloured slightly. "So, you're asking me out, but I don't know when we'll go out, or what we'll do? Real romantic Potter."

"You didn't say no," Harry countered. "And I know where and when the date will occur, but life is full of surprises. You'll be thoroughly swept off of your feet Aimee. I promise."

"Yes, I'll go out with you," she said softly. "You're really quite the dramatic though, Harry..."

"I also enjoy long walks on the beach."

"Me too, but I don't think we can find a beach around here." Harry smiled. He could arrange that...

..::..--.--..::..

"So you don't want her dead?"

"Why would I? She's a foul bitch, but she's not Umbridge..."

"It's Rita Skeeter! After you showed me those memories, I would want some payback!"

"Isn't keeping her in a jar enough payback Sirius?"

Sirius pouted. "No."

Hermione laughed lightly, pocketing the jar containing Rita Skeeter. Harry, Ron, Tonks and Remus just looked on, amused. The Trio busted out of school after lessons were over to come visit their older friends, and Hermione had brought Rita along at Sirius' request.

Tonks had an idea. "You know, Dawlish was on the case of Rita's disappearance. He's got no leads, and the _Daily Prophet _guy Davy Chase is breathing down his neck."

"Dawlish is still working there?" Harry asked, appalled. John Dawlish's susceptibility to Confundus and Imperius is beyond comprehension.

"Yep, Bones just slapped him on the wrist," Tonks replied, taking a sip from her Butterbeer. "But Mueller and Yaxley were arrested after the Umbridge Confession came out, and they were re-interrogated about the incident at the BVI." Michael Mueller and Sebastian Yaxley were Aurors that helped frame up Sirius a month ago, and they were bribing Fudge to stay as Aurors ever since some illegal activity back in 1986.

"Good. Murdering assholes," Harry said darkly. "So, do you want to see the First Task again?" All positive replies, and Harry got up to grab the Pensieve. When he returned, he found Sirius crouched over the fire, talking to the head of Amelia Bones.

"Sirius, I don't want you to come and kill him or anything, but just know we have him cornered," she said firmly. "I've got five Aurors awaiting the warrant, and anti-Animagus, anti-Apparation and anti-Portkey wards in place."

"Thanks Amelia," Sirius said, and Amelia's head disappeared. "Fuck."

"HARRY! RON! HERMIONE!" he called, and the Trio gathered. "Wormtail's been cornered in the Wizarding part of Cardiff, near the wharf."

"Damn, five Aurors right?" Harry said, checking for his wand. "Wormtail can't be captured yet."

Ron nodded. "So, we posing as Death Eaters?" Hermione was already conjuring black Death Eater robes, while Harry was rummaging through a spare trunk full of supplies he kept at the Lovegood Getaway.

"Got it," Harry said triumphantly. He pulled out a Death Eater mask he stole from a random Death Eater during the World Cup battle. "_Gemino_." The mask duplicated twice, and Harry handed them to Ron and Hermione.

"Sirius, Remus, you cannot come with. As much as you want to," Ron said, donning the robes. He cast a few glamours to appear as Thomas Avery.

"Tonks," Harry said, turning to the Auror. "Head to Auror HQ, and tell them you were there when Sirius got the message. Say that you want to know what's happening, and when the time is right, imply that Wormtail has some old friends helping him."

"Ready?" Harry glamoured himself to appear as Goyle Sr, only a little skinnier for practicality sakes. He placed on the mask, and motioned to his friends. They both nodded, and Apparated away.

..::..--.--..::..

"Jenkins! Cover the east exits. Hooker, Robards, you're with me. Shacklebolt, stay here," commanded Auror Travis Leon. His Auror team nodded and moved into position, wands raised.

Peter Pettigrew was talking to his back alley associate Sammy Samson, who was an illegal Potions ingredient dealer. Wormtail needed several ingredients to revive his Lord, and Sammy Samson was the guy to get them from.

Unfortunately for Peter, Sammy Samson was caught by Aurors three weeks ago as a 'person of interest'. Sammy had all kinds of Listening Charms placed on him, monitored by Auror Travis Leon. And when Wormtail approached Sammy, Travis found the DMLE's new most wanted.

Travis, Hooker and Robards Disillusioned themselves and moved quietly. Wormtail was still exchanging Galleons and words with Sammy, and hadn't noticed anything yet. However, the Aurors' arrest was stopped when three people in dark robes and wearing white masks Apparated right behind Shacklebolt.

"_Stupefy_!" whispered Harry, and Kingsley went down. Ron and Hermione were already running ahead, looking for the other Aurors. Harry went east, searching for any other Aurors. He found Jenkins, who got the first spell off:

"_Expelliarmus!_" Harry was caught by surprise, but didn't lose his wand. Instead he dropped it, kicked it towards Jenkins, and ran full pelt. The Auror paled, and started shooting off Stunners. Harry ducked and weaved, before kicking Jenkins in the kneecap.

Jenkins stumbled, and Harry picked up his own wand from the ground. A quick Banishing Charm flung Jenkins to a nearby wall, and broke the man's wand arm. Harry stunned and bound him, before heading back to where Ron and Hermione got to.

Ron and Hermione used magical sight spells to spot the three invisible Aurors approaching Sammy and Wormtail.

"_Stupefy_!" they yelled simultaneously, and Auror Hooker went down. Attention was drawn by the two Aurors, Sammy and Wormtail. Wormtail spotted one downed Auror, and two becoming visible again, and his wand was in hand.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" The Killing Curse smacked Sammy in the chest, and Wormtail took aim at the other two Aurors.

"Pettigrew!" Ron growled, sounding a lot like Avery. "Get out of here! Get back to our Lord, and tell him that Avery will come for him! GO!"

Wormtail nodded, pocketed his wand, and ran off. Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione had stunned Robards, and were duelling with Travis.

"Avery!" screamed Travis, ducking Ron's Stunner. "You will pay for this one!"

"Really?" Ron laughed coldly. "Katrina, will I be paying for this one?"

Hermione put on a Viktor Krum-esque accent. "Nyet. But maybe this stupid Auror vill be paying the price yes?" She was posing as Katrina Slakov, a Durmstrang graduate who hid in Bulgaria after Voldemort's downfall. She was actually dead, but the Aurors didn't know that.

"_Incarceous!" _Harry shouted, joining the battle. Thick ropes wrapped around Travis' midriff and legs. The man fell forward, dropping his wand and breaking his nose on the pavement. "Avery, Slakov! Stop playing and let's get out of here."

"Playing the leader are we Goyle?" cackled Ron. He and Hermione quickly Stunned Travis. "He's out."

"Let's go... _Avery_," Harry chuckled, Apparating off. He, Ron and Hermione appeared back in the grassy field outside the modest cottage they lived in.

"Phew," Ron sighed. "That was annoying."

Harry frowned, taking his mask off. "I hope Wormtail isn't as stupid in the future."

"It's Wormtail we're talking about," Ron said darkly. "How's Rita?"

"Still alive, shaken though," Hermione said, producing the jar holding Rita from her robes. She had forgotten about the beetle during the battle. "Are we going to visit Goyle and Avery?"

"Oh yeah," Harry said stupidly. He had forgotten that tidbit. "I forgot that they wouldn't know we were posing as them. Keep the robes and mask, let's go visit Goyle Manor."

It took six hours, but the Trio had found Gregory Goyle Sr in his weakly warded home, and spent a good thirty minutes planting a memory of the battle in his mind. Next up was Avery's home, and a funny encounter with the man's House Elf resulted in Hermione Obliviating the elf. Once Avery's memories were modified, the Trio returned to Hogwarts around the 2am mark, very exhausted.

..::..--.--..::..

To be continued in Chapter Three....

..::..--.--..::..


	4. Chapter 4 :: An Eventful Winter

Disclaimer :: All things Harry Potter are owned by JK Rowling, and it would be quite an insult to her if I were to claim them as my own wouldn't it? Here we go!

To End in Serenity

Written by MattSilver

..::..--.--..::..

Rated because of coarse language, teenage drinking, violence, references to sex, sarcastic humour and slight out of character situations and personalities. You have been warned.

General Notes :: Harry, Ron and Hermione are referred to as the Golden Trio, or just the Trio. Note the capital 'T' when I refer to them. Get used to seeing that.

- Several lines and phrases from the actual books are used occasionally, mostly from the third, fourth and fifth books.

- The backstory of the war is based around some events of HBP and DH, but only basic plot things like Horcruxes and Dumbledore's death are mentioned.

..::..--.--..::..

Chapter 4 of 6 :: An Eventful Winter

..::..--.--..::..

It was early December, on a random Thursday, when the teachers announced the upcoming Yule Ball. The Trio, laying low after their adventure a few weeks ago, were actually looking forward to it.

"It's just something fun to do right?" Ron said. "Oh Hermione?" The girl looked up from her dinner and smiled. "Will you do me the honour of not going with that surly git and accompanying a poor red headed boy to the Yule Ball?" Harry laughed softly, and several students looked startled at Ron's invitation.

"Sure, if you can dance," Hermione said teasingly.

Ron nodded brightly. "I can do all kinds of dances!" Only Harry and Hermione got the double meaning. Hermione reddened, and Harry laughed.

"Potter," Aimee said, approaching Harry once dinner was over. "You sneaky little romantic you. So, are you taking me to the Yule Ball?"

Harry nodded slyly, placing one arm around her shoulders. "Life is full of surprises."

"Git," Aimee replied, sticking her tongue out. "You better sweep me off my feet Harry, or no drinking for a month."

"I promised I would didn't I?" Harry said softly. He leaned in and whispered in the Slytherin's ear, "Sorry that we have to start off the dancing though. Burden of being a champion you know?"

"You're the only champion I would go with," Aimee replied. She loosened herself from Harry's arm, and walked off to the library. Harry sighed, watching her go.

"Nice girl, Potter?" growled Moody, approaching Harry. Harry sighed again, this time a little more exasperatedly. "We have to talk in my office. Come on, lad."

"Fine," Harry relented. He hadn't had a chance to interrogate Moody as of yet, but it looked like Mad-Eye was getting to it first. Tightening his grip on his wand, Harry followed the imposter to his office.

"Now lad," Moody started, ditching the fake leg and taking a seat. "I admire the way you handled the dragon. Nice and easy does the trick, as I would of told you."

"Thank you, sir."

"Now, how are you going with the next clue? The egg?"

Harry smirked. "Got it already."

Moody chuckled. "Good job, Potter. Do you know why I'm talking to you now, because it isn't about the Tournament."

"I guess it has something to do with Aimee," Harry said. His wand hand was itching to curse the imposter and find some things out. "You started this conversation by complimenting her. I picked up on it from there."

"Good!" Moody cried appreciatively. "Constant vigilance! Understand your surrondings and take control of them before they overwhelm you. You understand that, and you would make a good Auror some day."

"Thank you sir."

"Now, Professor Dumbledore asked me to talk to you. To feel you out. I told him that there was nothing to be worried about, but he's relentless. With me so far?"

Harry nodded.

"Good lad. Your performance in the First Task opened the old man's eyes. Now, do you mind me saying that Albus hasn't really had the best interests of you in mind?"

Harry nodded again, face blank.

Moody took a swig from his hip-flask. "Good good. Your filthy guardians are a good example of this. But, Albus is worried that you're turning Dark."

"That's impossible," Harry blurted. "Dark wizards like Voldemort killed my parents! I would never be like them."

"I know lad. But Albus doesn't want you out of reach. Out of his control. You're getting to him. The advanced magic, the disrespectful attitude, and your friendship with Miss Moon. I would chalk them up as normal teen things, but Dumbledore does not want that. He does not want you to turn to the Dark."

"Well then fuck him," Harry cursed. "I'm not turning Dark. Aimee is a great girl, despite the fact she's a Slytherin. I need the advanced magic to fight Voldemort don't I? The attitude is probably a by-product of my guardians' brilliant parenting styles..."

Both of Moody's eyes bore into his. Harry didn't feel any Legilimency attacks, but kept his shields up anyway. He was inwardly wondering what Crouch was trying to pull. Was the imposter trying to sow seeds of distrust in him by telling him that Dumbledore wasn't happy? Was Crouch working on a half-cocked plan to recruit Harry for his Lord?

"I know lad. Between you and me, I know. I will tell Albus that you aren't turning Dark, and he may back off. If he doesn't, I will help you out. I promise it," Moody said determinedly. It was very slippery of him to batter down Harry's trust of Dumbledore. But, of course, Moody didn't know Harry already hated the old man.

"Thank you sir. Thank you a lot."

..::..--.--..::..

The night of the Yule Ball, Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean and Neville changed into their dress robes up in their dormitory, all but two of them looking very self-conscious. Harry was calm and collected, and Ron wasn't wearing horrible maroon robes this time (Having ordered some navy blue ones via owl, paid for by his and Harry's Irish friend), so they were relaxing.

"Who are you going with Harry?" asked Dean. Seamus and Neville were looking at him curiously too. Neville had asked Ginny again, and Seamus was going with Lavender. Dean, meanwhile, was taking Parvati.

"It's a surprise," Harry said slyly. True, Aimee had told him not to spread anything around, because she wouldn't hear the end of it in the Slytherin Common Room. And our boy Harry loves surprising people.

Dean laughed. "Padma Patil? Hermione Granger? Pansy Parkinson? Who?"

"It's a surprise, and I'm going with Hermione," said Ron.

"Oh yeah," Dean said, forgetting that Ron was going with Hermione. "Good luck with that mate."

The Common Room looked very colourful, with a mass of different colours amongst the black. Harry bid Ron a quick goodbye, before leaving to fetch Aimee from the Slytherin Common Room. Ron waved him off, awaiting his own date.

Harry reached the dungeons a few minutes later, passing by a few Slytherin couples on the way. He reached the wall where the Slytherin Common Room was hiding behind, and spoke to it clearly:

"Icarus." The wall let him in after the correct password, and Harry smirked. Aimee had told him to wait outside, but he had a better idea.

Walking into the Slytherin Common Room with no disguise was a highlight for Harry. Mouths dropped as he entered, and several wands came out. Harry's own wand was already in hand, but he plastered a cheeky smile on his dial.

"Hello," he said cheerily, and more wands joined the fray. Malfoy, guarded by Crabbe and Goyle, spoke up first.

"What are you doing here Scarhead?" Harry smirked.

"Waiting for my date, of course," he said, enjoying the jaw droppings around the room. Malfoy himself was staring blank-faced, awaiting the punchline to Harry's joke.

"You're lying, Potter," Malfoy said disbelievingly. Harry was wondering what kind of flack Aimee would get, but decided he didn't mind. She didn't either, because she hated her House as much as Harry did.

"Harry?"

Aimee herself had arrived, wearing dark green dress robes that looked very form-fitting. Her usual combed down hair looked a little more wavy than usual, cascading down her shoulders like it had its own private wind. She was looking amusedly at Harry, ignoring her housemates.

"Aimee," Harry said simply, approaching her. The Slytherin population was looking at the two in disbelief - a blood traitor girl and the Boy-Who-Lived... the world had ended. Harry conjured a red rose. It was corny, but was effective. "You look beautiful. Shall we go before your fellow Slytherins lynch me?"

She nodded, pinking slightly. But there was a cheeky smile on her face as she took Harry's arm, and allowed him to lead her out of the Common Room and away from the Slytherins.

"Thanks for the rose," she said lightly. Harry chuckled. "And for freaking out my housemates. That was genius... how did you get in?"

Harry tapped the side of his nose. "I have my ways."

She looked exasperated, but didn't press on. The two continued the walk up to the Entrance Hall, occasionally checking for Slytherins behind them. Harry would not put it past several of them to curse the living daylights out of him.

The Entrance Hall was packed, all milling about and awaiting the Yule Ball to begin. Harry and Aimee quickly found Ron and Hermione, who were looking rather couple-y.

"Hey you two. Aimee, you look great!" Hermione said. Aimee smiled and patted down her robes.

"You should of seen what Harry did to the Slytherins. It was brilliant," she said happily. Harry was discreetly checking her out while she chatted. He liked what he saw, and she knew it.

Ron looked at Harry. "You actually walked in? I'm glad I didn't bet any money."

The quartet laughed, as the oak doors leading into the Hall opened. Karkaroff and his Durmstrang students walked in. Krum was with one of his groupies in Fred and George's year, and looked rather unhappy with it.

"He asked me a few days ago," Hermione told the gang. "He looked so angry that I already had a date. It was funny." Ron smiled proudly at her. Hermione had changed for the better in his eyes, and he was thinking that he was the reason for the changes.

Malfoy, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle came up from the Slytherin dungeons a few minutes later, all glaring at the quartet's direction. Harry and Aimee waved to them, but it wasn't returned unfortunately.

McGonagall suddenly appeared out of no where, and called, "Champions over here please!"

"That's our cue," Harry said happily, taking Aimee over to the Transfiguration Professor. Cedric and Cho, Krum and his groupie, and Fleur and Roger Davies all looked at Aimee curiously, but didn't comment.

"Wait here please," McGonagall told them, also eyeing Aimee oddly. The Great Hall doors opened, and students started pouring in.

"Aimee right?" asked Cho, hand out. Aimee shook it. "You sometimes hang out in the library with my friend Marietta right? You're teaching her Ancient Runes?"

Aimee nodded. "She's not that great at that subject, and her parents are old friends of my dad's." Cho smiled, and turned to Harry.

"Harry," she greeted. "Shame we have no Quidditch this year."

Harry smiled. "So I could beat you again?" he half-joked. Harry really didn't think much of Cho these days, but that could be because he already chalked her up as a disaster to date back in the old timeline.

Cedric jumped into the conversation. "I was looking forward to playing against you again Harry, but this Tournament is enough isn't it?"

"Definitely," Harry agreed. The conversation ended when McGonagall came out of the Hall and instructed the couples to line up and follow her. They did so, and everyone in the Great Hall applauded as they entered and walked up towards a large round table at the top of the Hall, where the judges (Including Harry's favourite - Dumbledore) were sitting.

Harry and Aimee walked confidently, resisting the urge to wave smart-arsedly at the students looking at them disbelievingly. Harry caught Ron and Hermione's eyes as he neared the top table, and he smiled. Aimee, meanwhile, was half-smirking at a shattered female population.

Dumbledore smiled benignly at the Champions as they approached the table, but his eyes didn't linger on Harry and Aimee for too long. Ludo Bagman was not catching Harry's eye as well, perhaps remembering Harry's threat during the First Task. Crouch was absent, and Percy was there, to Harry's dismay.

When the couples reached the table, Percy motioned Harry to sit down next to him. Being that Percy was the furthest away from Dumbledore, Harry took a seat next to him, after being a total gentleman and pulling out Aimee's chair.

"Milady," he said, gesturing. She took a seat beside him and two seats down from Percy, smiling.

"I've been promoted," Percy said smugly. "I'm now Mr Crouch's personal assistant, and I'm here representing him."

"Brilliant," Harry said sarcastically. Percy didn't catch it, and was nodding happily. On Harry's other side, Aimee was giggling. Dinner was a light affair, with Harry and Aimee ignoring the other occupants of the table and criticising Malfoy.

"It took him two hours to do that hair," Aimee said, taking a sip from her goblet of water. Harry laughed.

"We should ask him," he said challengingly.

"I will if you will."

Dumbledore eventually stood up, creating a raised platform for dancing. The Weird Sisters, tonight's entertainment, trooped onto stage and started to play their first song.

"Let's roll," Harry and Aimee said simultaneously. Harry led her to the dance floor, trailing after the other champions. He avoided the gazes of his friends and the other students as he seized Aimee's hands and started leading her around in some kind of waltz he made up on the spot.

They danced through the entire song, running into other students and teachers. Ron and Hermione winked at them both, dancing their own little dance, Ginny and Neville said a quick hello, Neville stepping on his date's feet in the process. Dumbledore waltzed with Maxime, Karkaroff was standing off to the side, Ludo was dancing with a blushing Professor Sinistra, and Percy had seemingly disappeared. He didn't have a date, so there was no dancing for the third-eldest Weasley child that night.

Moody passed Harry and Aimee, dancing with Professor Sprout. "Nice socks, Potter," he growled. Harry was wearing Dobby's socks again, and he had shown them to Aimee during dinner, to the girl's laughter.

"Dobby the House Elf knitted them for me," Harry replied.

After the song finished, Harry and Aimee danced to the next two songs, before heading to get drinks.

"You know, this is a lot of fun," Aimee said, sipping on a Butterbeer. She was looking rather pink from all the dancing, but delighted all the same.

"Yep," Harry agreed. "But the date isn't over yet."

Aimee smiled. "Really?"

Harry smirked, and pointed to the entrance of the Great Hall. Percy Weasley was walking in, beside Penelope Clearwater. However, this Percy wasn't strolling confidently, he was ambling along with Penelope on his arm, looking rather pink.

"Harry," he greeted. "And this must be Aimee."

Aimee laughed nervously. "Harry? Percy knows he met me half an hour ago right?"

Harry laughed. "How are things, Remus? Tonks?"

'Penelope' grinned. "Brilliant Harry. Your friend Percy went home, after vomiting his breakfast all over the Entrance Hall."

Aimee was looking confused, but Harry was still laughing. "Brilliant. Are you two going to dance tonight?"

'Percy' flushed, and 'Penelope' nodded happily.

"Here you go Harry," 'Percy' said, handing Harry a small whistle. "It's set to go off in one hour, and it can return here at any time."

"Thanks Remus. Go have some fun you old man," Harry said, and 'Percy' smiled briefly. He allowed 'Penelope' to lead him to the dance floor, if a bit reluctantly. "Those two..." Harry said fondly.

"Harry? What the hell was that about?" Aimee asked.

"Aimee my dear." Harry took her hand. "Life is full of surprises. I will tell you that I'm ready to go out and dance some more if you'd let me, and that we just had a conversation with Professor Lupin and his date, Nymphadora Tonks."

"What?" Aimee said, allowing Harry to lead her to the dance floor. The two started up again, and Harry explained:

"Remember Professor Lupin? He and I have become pen pals this year, and I asked him for a favour. We hashed up a plan involving some hexing, Polyjuice, and some definitely illegal Portkey use. He got help from an old friend of mine, Tonks, who's posing as Percy's ex-girlfriend. All so I can sweep you off your feet."

Aimee raised an eyebrow. "Illegal Portkey use?"

Harry smiled, and pulled her close for a slow song. "Life is full of surprises."

Aimee didn't follow up with it, and the two danced for the next fifty minutes. Harry and Ron swapped partners a few times, and didn't dance with anyone else (This was fortunate, because Harry didn't want to have Neville break Aimee's toes if he swapped with the chubby boy).

"Are you going soon?" Ron asked, as the quartet relaxed at a table.

Harry nodded, and then turned to his date. "Yep. Aimee, are you ready to go?"

"Only if you tell me where we're going," she said. Harry smiled.

"Don't you trust me?" Harry asked. Aimee nodded slowly.

"As long as you don't kill me and drop my body in a back bay." Ron and Hermione laughed. Harry lead Aimee out of the Great Hall and out onto the grounds.

"We're heading just outside the wards," Harry told her. She started to shiver a little, and so Harry pulled out his wand and cast a warming charm.

"Thanks," Aimee said. Harry took her to just next to the Hogwarts front gates. Unbeknownst to Aimee, Harry had cast several charms to stop people following them or tracing their Portkey signature.

The whistle Portkey Remus gave Harry activated a minute later, taking the couple to a large grassy field, surrounded by trees and riddled with complicated wards. Aimee didn't see the cottage dead centre in the field, but Harry did.

However, Aimee did see a large blanket spread on the grass, with floating fairy lights swarming around it (Helpfully stolen by Remus a few hours earlier). Harry motioned for Aimee to sit on the blanket, and she did, relaxing into the extra charms Harry put on the blanket (Cushioning, Warming and Bug-Repelling).

"Dobby!" Harry called, and the elf popped in.

"Hello Harry Potter sir!" he turned to Aimee. "And Harry Potter's Moon girl!"

"Hello Dobby," Aimee said kindly. "Thank you for the socks." Along with Harry, Ron and Hermione, Dobby had knit Aimee some black socks with green lightning bolts. She wasn't wearing them at the moment, but she got a kick out of them anyway.

Dobby beamed at her, and Harry looked amused.

"He's a sock expert he is," he said. "Dobby, can you please fetch the basket I prepared earlier?"

Dobby nodded and Apparated off. Harry turned to Aimee.

"Did you get him socks in return?" he asked.

Aimee nodded. "I gave him an old pair that my grandmother gave to me. Hideously purple and gray, but Dobby loved them."

"I gave him some mustard coloured socks that belonged to Vernon." Dobby popped back in at this moment, holding a large basket.

"Here you go Harry Potter sir!" he said excitedly. "I placed Warming Charms on the Firewhisky too Harry Potter!"

"Thanks Dobby," Harry said, opening the basket. Dobby made like a Mundungus Fletcher and disappeared instantly before ruining the mood.

"Wow Harry," Aimee whispered, looking up at the stars. She took the bottle Harry offered her, containing a apple cider/Firewhisky Frankenstein drink Sirius and Dobby had created.

"It's corny though," Harry muttered embarrassedly. "You know, I gave you a rose, we danced a while, and now we're drinking out under the stars."

Aimee took his hand and squeezed it. "It's great Harry. What I'm interested in knowing is how you found this place."

Harry smiled. "My friend owns a cottage here. You can't see it, since it's under heavy warding, but this little piece of land is where he lives."

"Nice," Aimee replied. "Who's cottage?"

"Sirius lives there," Harry said, and Aimee nodded. He had explained to her about his godfather's innocence, including the whole story with Pettigrew and Sirius gaining innocence after a meeting with Amelia Bones.

"Is he in now?" Aimee asked.

Harry shook his head. "Nope. I told him to go out for the night. He's probably tearing up Muggle London by now." Actually, Sirius was on a date with a woman he met at the Ministry some time ago. Stay tuned.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Aimee still holding Harry's hand. In between looking at the stars or the fairies Remus 'borrowed', Harry searched his date's face. She was looking nervous, and fighting some internal battle.

"Something on your mind?" he asked her. She nodded slowly, not looking at him.

"Harry..." she started. "I've got something to tell you, something that you might not like."

Harry nodded. "Go on."

"Do you remember everything I told you about my family?" Ahhh... she wanted to broach the subject of her Death Eater uncle. Harry smiled reassuringly.

"Yep. Your father is a Muggleborn from France who works in the Portkey Regulation Department. Your mother runs a store at Serenity Valley right? You mentioned that your grandmother sent you crappy socks... and your father is a bit temperamental about strange young men."

Aimee chuckled at the jab about her father. "Yeah... but I've never told you about my mother's side of the family."

"They're pureblood right? You mentioned that they were all pureblood Slytherin types."

"Yes. But... my uncle," her voice cracked a little, and Harry squeezed her hand, "My uncle, and my grandfather are... Death Eaters."

Harry said nothing. He kept the smile on his face though, ready to reassure her fears of him hating her.

"I know you must hate them all... because of what they did in the war," Aimee said slowly.

"But I'd never hate you," Harry said softly. Aimee smiled, and caught his eyes.

"Thank you. But my uncle Christian... he was a great guy actually... He was forced into being a Death Eater by my bigoted grandfather, who believed Lord Voldemort was a future emperor. Christian wanted out a week after being Marked, and hid with mum. He didn't hate her like grandfather did, for marrying a Muggleborn. Two weeks later, you killed Voldemort, and Christian stayed with us.

"He was a loving uncle when I was younger. He worked with mum in the supermarket, and then got a job in Knockturn Alley. At the start of this year, his Mark became 'clearer', I think that's what mum told me."

"Because Voldemort's coming back," Harry muttered. Aimee nodded.

"We gathered that. But... Uncle Christian became edgy, and scared. He broke down a few weeks before I returned from Hogwarts. He didn't want to be forced back into being a Death Eater."

"I'm sorry," Harry said cautiously. He was thinking about the tall, dark haired man that Hermione killed in the World Cup battle. He remembered watching the man's mask come flying off at Hermione's curse, a shocked look... blue eyes... so much like Aimee's. Hermione broke his spine with a well placed curse. Harry had complimented her, and watched the Death Eater fall to the ground, writhing in pain. He briefly remembered Hermione ending Christian Selwyn's pain a second later.

Aimee's eyes started to glaze over a little. Harry pulled her closer. "He disappeared two days before the World Cup," she said. "We didn't find out until the Aurors came and questioned us about any 'people of interest'. He died in that battle... some Ministry worker, or even one of the Death Eaters, broke his spine in two places, and slit his throat after that. It was sick. It was horrible. Mum didn't know if he was innocent or if he did it on his own. Dad was stressed, Mum was stressed, and I became quiet..."

She sighed, and allowed Harry to hug her. "Until I met you. Got drunk with a stressed kid who made me laugh at his sarcastic comments. Thank you."

"You don't owe me anything Aimee," Harry said. "You've helped me out too you know? You're a good friend, and..." This was a sticky bit for Harry. He had never really said 'I love you' to a girl before, and he wouldn't start now. "... I'm becoming emotionally invested in you."

Aimee laughed, her earlier sadness forgotten briefly. "You're such a teenage boy. I'm becoming emotionally invested in you too."

It was a good night for the new couple. Aimee got the burden of her family's problems off her chest, and Harry realised he was in fact becoming more emotionally invested with someone that he barely knew in the last timeline. Someone new, and it was a good feeling. Yes, the couple did snog a bit, and Aimee later commented to Harry:

"Well, you certainly lived up to your end of the bargain."

Harry grinned at her, activating the Portkey back to Hogwarts. "And you don't owe me any money anymore Aimee. Trust me, I won't have my girlfriend owing me squat."

"Really?" she asked coyly. "If I had known this would've got me out of debt earlier, I would've snogged you months ago."

..::..--.--..::..

Harry and Aimee's date was a success, and the couple were happy. Unfortunately, there were two highly powerful wizards that weren't in happy moods.

In his office, Albus Dumbledore sucked on a lemon drop and pondered many things.

Dumbledore was worried about the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry had been happy and a perfectly pleasant person that night at the Yule Ball, dancing away with Miss Moon. Moody had assured Dumbledore that Harry was fine, but Moody didn't know that Harry Obliviated Professor Snape a few weeks back.

Dumbledore had to accelerate some plans. He needed to get inside Harry's head, and the boy wouldn't let him do it willingly. For the greater good, Dumbledore would have to separate the Moon girl from him, catch him unawares, and fix the Boy-Who-Lived from becoming a new Voldemort.

But what to do? Dumbledore would ask himself. Would he simply have his Order remove Aimee Moon from Harry's sights for a while? A Love Potion to direct his attention elsewhere? These questions bugged the Headmaster. He didn't want Harry to become more estranged, but he wanted him back under control. Snape had told the Headmaster that Voldemort was getting stronger, and Dumbledore needed his golden boy prepared to die for the cause. How else would Voldemort's accidental Horcrux be destroyed?

"Severus," Dumbledore said, as the Potions Master entered the office. Snape nodded briefly. "What news of Harry?"

"Miss Moon returned to her dorms a few minutes ago," Snape said evenly. "I do not know if Harry has returned, since you are the one monitoring his dorm."

Dumbledore shook his head. "My Listening Charm has been disabled, and I cannot get a new one in. I do not know what he did, but Harry has made it impossible for us to monitor his room."

"You're giving Potter too much credit," Snape said silkily. "Perhaps he got help from Miss Moon or the Granger girl. Or you have made a mistake."

Dumbledore stared hard at the man across from him, daring him to repeat what he said.

Snape smirked. "Goodnight Albus."

"Goodnight, Severus."

Once Snape had left, Albus returned to his musing. Harry was becoming a flight risk more and more. He needed to find out where Harry, Ron and Hermione would sometimes disappear too. Perhaps he would send an owl to Sirius Black, who was in occasional contact according to the letters Black sent to Harry with advice on the Tournament.

..::..--.--..::..

At the Crouch household, Tom Riddle watched the flickering flames in the fireplace, pondering many things.

Voldemort was worried about his plans to get a new body. He did not doubt that Barty Crouch Jr would succeed, because the fanatical follower had gone far enough and would reach the end easily. He was worried about Wormtail, who narrowly avoided being arrested a month ago.

Voldemort's servant Wormtail was lucky once. He escaped after killing the Potions dealer Sammy Samson, and managed to return to his Lord thanks to three Death Eaters taking down the Aurors. Two of those Death Eaters were in Azkaban now, having been captured by the Ministry a few weeks ago. Voldemort needed more help than just Wormtail, who was now actually wanted by the Ministry. Minister Amelia Bones had told her Aurors to hunt Wormtail down, but hadn't informed the public. Voldemort only knew that thanks to his foray into Crouch Sr's mind.

But what to do? Voldemort would muse. Death and mayhem only got you so far, and he needed servants that could procure the correct ingredients and tools for his resurrection. Reaching a decision, he called in Wormtail, who was interrogating Crouch Sr.

"Wormtail," Voldemort hissed. The ex-Marauder bowed low, awaiting orders. "I do know it is not your fault, but we need some more help on this Wormtail. We need some help in planning my return."

"Yes, my Lord."

Voldemort smirked. "I need you to contact Amycus and Alecto Carrow for me. Do not bring them here... I do not need my servants to see me in this form. Tell them to procure illegal Portkeys to the island of Azkaban."

"Yes, my Lord. If you don't mind me asking, what are you planning?"

"A breakout," Voldemort said simply. "Your friend Sirius showed us that being an Animagus can help in that regard. With the Carrows' Portkeys, you can transform into a rat, drop them off into several cells, and they will be taken here. I will relocate to Riddle Manor for now, and none of my servants will see me in this form. They will recover here, and the able ones will go out into the world and help you."

Wormtail nodded. He spotted several holes in the plan, but it wasn't worth his life to point them out. Unfortunately, Voldemort read his mind for a few seconds.

"_Crucio_," he said coldly. Wormtail writhed in pain for half a minute, before Voldemort released the curse. "Wormtail, you doubt the plan? I will talk to the Dementors, and didn't you know they had access to the wards? They can shut down the proper wards to get you in without alerting the Ministry. If we act quickly, we can break our people out before Amelia Bones enacts a law to restrict the Dementors."

Wormtail nodded, twitching slightly. "Who are we breaking out?"

"Six of my most loyal. Bella, the Lestrange brothers, Dolohov, Rookwood and Travers. My inner circle will be back and ready to serve upon my resurrection, and Harry Potter's death."

With that, Voldemort dismissed Wormtail, who scurried off to get in contact with the Carrows. If he was lucky, the Death Eaters could be broken out by mid-January.

..::..--.--..::..

_MASS AZKABAN BREAKOUT! Six Death Eaters escaped from Azkaban!_

_January 14th, 1995, Adelbert Davies reporting:_

_The Ministry of Magic announced late last night that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban prison._

_Speaking to reporters in public, Amelia Bones, newly appointed Minister of Magic, confirmed that six high-security prisoners escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening, and that the Muggle Prime Minister has already been informed._

_'Six of the country's most dangerous wizards and one witch, wizards that didn't escape justice like the ones employed in my predecessors' Ministry, are out there,' Minister Bones said, speaking clearly and confidently. 'Public vigilance is advised, and several informational pamphlets will be released, specifically written by our Ministry's top Aurors. I will do everything in my power to make sure this doesn't happen ever again, and I will track these people down, and make sure they do not inflict horrors on our world that they did in the last war.'_

_When asked about how the Death Eaters escaped, Minister Bones told us frankly and regretfully:_

_'Because we trusted the Dementors. They turned on us before, and I admit I was drafting a law to remove them as of last week. New wards are being built, and the other prisoners won't be leaving again. I will not have any Death Eaters running around during my term.'_

_This reporter personally asked if the six escapees were related to the Sirius Black escape a year and a half ago. Minister Bones denied it, citing that 'That is a press announcement for another time.' _

_For more information on escapees Bellatrix Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov, Augustus Rookwood, Rabastan Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange and Daniel Travers, turn to page 2._

"SIRIUS!" Harry called, Apparating to Lovegood Getaway, paper in hand. Ron popped in right after he did, munching on some toast.

"Maybe he's not here?" Ron asked, peering around at the seemingly empty cottage. Hermione was running distraction for the two boys, who came to the cottage to get Sirius' thoughts on the subject.

Harry started opening random doors, not finding Sirius in the bathroom, the upstairs bathroom, the bedroom he used in the summer, the Potions Lab/Library, the second and third bedrooms, the en suite bathroom in the third bedroom, the living room, the upstairs closet, the cupboard under the stairs, the Training Room, the small bedroom that became the Memorial Room and the den.

"Only one left," he told Ron, standing outside Sirius' bedroom door. Harry opened it, and found Sirius in bed.

With Penelope Clearwater.

Remember when it was mentioned Sirius was on a date with a woman he met at the Ministry? Well, that woman was Penny Clearwater, who was a little over half Sirius' age, but neither minded. Apparently, Sirius loved younger women as much as Remus did, and Penny was attracted to Sirius being a completely different man than Percy was.

"Fucking hell!" Harry cursed. He whipped out his wand, and use _Levicorpus _to remove the naked Sirius out of bed. On the bed, Penny stopped her current actions and movements to look at the doorway.

She squealed and reached for her discarded clothes. Sirius was glaring at Harry, who was still levitating him.

"Harry, put him down," Ron said, laughing his head off. Sirius naked and levitated and his brother's ex having sex with Harry's godfather? It was a funny day to be Ron Weasley.

Harry released Sirius, letting the man crash on the bed.

"Get your clothes on, and meet us in the kitchen in three minutes. Sorry to disturb you, but you're needed," Harry said, not sounding sorry at all. "Hi Penelope," he added.

Five minutes later, Sirius was clothed and glaring at Harry across the kitchen table. Penelope had left two minutes earlier, wanting to escape the awkwardness.

"That was mean," Sirius pouted. "Why?"

Harry threw the _Prophet _at him. "Read. Complain about not getting laid later."

"Just because you're jealous Aimee isn't giving you any," Sirius muttered, reading the paper. Harry barely resisted the urge to curse him.

"I may be 25 mentally Sirius, but we're still 14 years old. No sex yet."

Ron laughed beside Harry. "But me and Hermione are both 25 year-old mind, 14 year-old bodies! We've done it."

Harry shook his head. "Too much information. I'm not pressuring my new girlfriend, indeed the only relationship I've been in since your sister back in '97." After and during the war, Harry became a one-night stand kind of guy, while his friends turned to each other for emotional and physical release.

"How are things with Aimee?" Ron asked. Harry just smiled.

"Brilliant. Basically how we were before the Ball, only with snogging and more meaningful conversations."

"You're fucking me," Sirius swore, dropping the paper. "Points to Amelia for not selling me out though. But... Merlin... my crazy cousin is out of Azkaban? The world is done for."

Harry nodded. Bella Lestrange will always be a very sore spot for him. Mostly because he never got to kill her. During the war, the Trio impersonated her to break into Gringotts, and planted several memories to frame Bella for the deed. Voldemort killed her for her 'betrayal', and didn't cotton onto the fact the Trio were destroying his Horcruxes.

"We needed the Lestranges too," Ron mumbled. Indeed, the Trio needed the Lestranges to break into Gringotts and get the cup Horcrux again.

"No matter," Harry said dismissively. "I bet I know where they're hiding." At the other two's looks, Harry elaborated. "Crouch's home. Where else? Voldemort wouldn't want his inner circle to see him in his weakened state right? He could possess Nagini for short periods of time, but would hide in Riddle Manor to avoid his servants."

"Plan?" Ron and Sirius asked simultaneously.

"Plan... scout out the Crouch home. Go behind Amelia's back, we can't have them finding out squat. And risk exposing Crouch Jr and blowing the whole plan... we need to find out who helped Wormtail get into Azkaban, then we need to take care of the Death Eaters. While they're still weak from Azkaban, we attack the Crouch home if we can."

"Who's left out on the streets?" Sirius asked. Harry thought it over, but Ron answered.

"The Carrows. Amycus and Alecto, those motherfucking pigs, they went in hiding when the First War ended right? We don't know where, but Wormtail could've gotten their help."

Harry nodded, before looking at his watch. "Me and Ron have Charms in ten minutes, so we got to head off. Sirius, don't do anything stupid, excluding sleeping with Penny. Have fun, and we'll be back in a few days."

"All right then. No hunting Death Eaters, I got you."

..::..--.--..::..

The next morning at breakfast, Harry noticed something different in the food he was eating. He sniffed a few times, recognising some intoxicating aromas: treacle tart, Firewhisky and polished broomstick.

"Guys," he whispered to Ron and Hermione. "My breakfast has been spiked with Love Potion."

Ron and Hermione shared a look, before Ron sniffed his own food. "None on mine. I think Dumbledore's got it in for you."

"Harry? Is it affecting you yet?" Hermione asked.

"Nope. Power of Occlumency shields," Harry replied, dropping his fork. The person poisoning him was either expecting Harry's shields to be inadequate or down during breakfast. Love Potion directly attacked the mind, switching some things up. Thanks to Harry's Occlumency, the effects could be stopped if the potion was a minor dose. Harry had only started to eat breakfast, so there wasn't any urges to fall in love with someone else.

Harry shook his head, and abandoned his food and drink. Speaking a little louder, he announced: "You're right Ron, I should go eat with my lovely girlfriend at breakfast. Thanks. See you two in Potions okay?"

Harry got up and strolled over to the Slytherin Table, plopping down next to Aimee.

"Hey gorgeous," he whispered, giving her a peck on the cheek. Aimee beamed at him, ignoring her housemates. Yeah, the Slytherin population wasn't too happy at one of their own dating Harry Potter, but they left her alone for fear of the Boy-Who-Lived. Mafloy got his shots in every now and then, but no one else bothered.

"Hey," she replied, watching her boyfriend gather some food and sniff it cautiously. "Are you Moody in disguise?"

"No," Harry laughed. "I'll tell you later, but the short story is that someone, probably the Headmaster, spiked my Gryffindor food with Love Potion."

"WHAT?" Aimee said indignantly. Harry gave her a look, and she looked somewhat abashed at raising her voice. Harry took control, raising his own voice.

"I know right? The Tornadoes actually lost to the Harpies! You won't believe how much money I lost!" Several Slytherins snickered at Harry's 'misfortune', before returning to breakfast.

On the way to Potions, Harry and Aimee took a shortcut to avoid the students and the portraits that reported to Dumbledore.

"I told you before that Dumbledore wouldn't like our relationship right? Add in the advanced magic and attitude, and he thinks I'm the newest Dark Lord. Well, the Love Potion seems to be his plan."

"That's fucking amazing. How gullible is that man? Don't answer that, but wow. Who was the potion influencing you towards?"

"I don't know," Harry said, thinking it over. "I'll get Ron to test it later, his Occlumency shields are the weakest. How are yours?" Harry had taught Aimee some basic Occlumency shields since the first day they met. By giving her a crash course in Occlumency, Harry made sure Aimee could handle alcohol for a little longer. Later on, he taught her to keep his secrets safe.

"Fine. I finished the book you gave me, and I've got the pendant," Aimee replied, producing a silver pendant Harry bought her. Officially, it was a Christmas present and just for show. Unofficially, it was a mind router of sorts. If Dumbledore or Snape peered into her mind, they would get redirected to the fake memories Aimee poured into the pendant. She had it tested when Snape confronted her on the night of the Yule Ball, and it worked, as Snape didn't find out she and Harry had left the school grounds.

Harry and Aimee got to Potions with a minute to spare, and sat through the lesson as usual. They both avoided Snape's eyes, concentrating on their perfect little Calming Concoction they were making.

After Potions, Harry met up with Ron and Hermione in the Room of Requirement.

"Seriously?" Harry ranted, pacing the Room. "A Love Potion? That's just ridiculous..."

"You don't think he's done it before?" Hermione asked.

Harry started to shake his head, before thinking it over. "Could I chalk the disaster of me liking Cho Chang to Love Potion?"

Both his friends smiled and shook their heads.

"Who then?"

Ron produced a piece of toast from his robes. "Nicked this from your plate. How did Dumbledore poison just your meal though?"

"House Elf," Harry replied. "Easy. An invisible House Elf was waiting for me to sit down before swapping some breakfast platters around and giving me the right one. Makes sense in hindsight."

Hermione nodded. "Who's going to test the Potion out?"

Ron sighed, "I will. I've got the weakest shields, and you two can dive into my mind and fix it right? Or create a cure?"

Harry nodded. "Your sacrifice will be written in the history books Ron."

Ron nibbled on the cold toast carefully. It took a few minutes, but his eyes glazed over and he got a stupid grin on his face. "Nice day isn't it? I gotta leave." He made a move towards the door, but Harry and Hermione stood in front of him, wands out

"Where are you trying to go Ron? Who are you trying to go to?" Harry asked. Ron smiled dreamily.

"Ginny Weasley," he declared in a sickening tone of voice. "I'm looking for the prettiest girl in my house at home and here at Hogwarts!"

Hermione stood firm in front of the door, but Harry was on his hands and knees, laughing. "That's... just... fucking... amazing..." he wheezed.

Hermione cracked a small smile, while Ron looked indignant.

"Hey! Are you laughing about Ginny? Because I love her!"

"The same way a brother loves his little sister?" Harry laughed.

Ron lunged at Harry, but was stopped by Hermione's Stunner.

"He will never live that down," she said sadly, though she was smirking.

"I can't believe it. I guess I'll be hanging out with Ginny more often then. Do you think she knows?"

Hermione levitated Ron to a chair and shook her head. "We went over this in the last timeline Harry. Ginny likes you sure, but she denied it when I asked her. Don't you remember?"

"Yeah. But this time around, Ginny saw me with a Slytherin girlfriend and could've gotten a little miffled at that," Harry protested. Ginny was a good friend with benefits back in the day, but she was young and a fan girl once years before that.

"No Harry."

Thirty minutes later, Hermione had brewed a quick antidote, and Ron wasn't in love with his sister anymore. Instead, he was suffering from massive embarrassment, but his loyal friends didn't poke fun at him. Much. Aimee, however, upon finding out later that night, laughed her head off at Ron the next time she saw him.

..::..--.--..::..

It was quite an eventful January for our key players, but February would prove to be just as tiring. Harry was wary of the Love Potion-laced food he was eating, but still ate it with Occlumency shields up to their strongest power. Just to help Dumbledore believe he was under the influence, Harry started chatting with Ginny randomly, about things like Quidditch and homework.

Harry and Aimee became closer and closer, but not close enough to warrant Hermione to share her Contraceptive Potions with the Slytherin girl. Ron and Hermione weren't too distracted by homework (It was surprisingly easy to do things the second time around, especially after years of other schooling), and borrowed the Room of Requirement occasionally.

At the Ministry, Amelia Bones had the Dementors removed from Azkaban and placed in a Gringotts vault, for the safety of the world. The goblins were very helpful because of Amelia's attitude towards them - she was nice and not a moron, like Fudge was. Amelia also asked the goblins to erect new wards in Azkaban, including Anti-Animagus. Azkaban was a safe prison again, even without the Dementors.

The 'Azkaban Six' were not sighted at all as January closed. The Trio theorised they were recovering from the Dementors' effects, but if it was in the Crouch home was to be decided. A letter from Percy indicated that his boss was still sick, and locked up at home.

On February the 4th, a Saturday, the Trio decided to scope out Crouch's home. If there was evidence that the Death Eaters were there, the Trio would attack.

"There are a lot of wards," Hermione announced, checking them with her wand. Harry and Ron watched as she looked over a spiral of colours to indicate the ward layout. The outermost lines on the spiral indicated the outer wards, and the innermost lines were the centred wards. "Anti-Apparation, Anti-Portkey, Anti-Animagus, Muggle-Repelling, Untraceable... everything but the Fidellius really."

"Plan?" Ron asked, itching his thigh with his wand.

"Plan..." Hermione hummed, looking over the spiral. "Ah-ha!" she said triumphantly. "Got it."

Harry looked closely at the spiral, studying the shape and colours. "A gap in the wards? Or the origin point to take down without detection? Anything to get us through?"

"They overloaded one point," Hermione said, indicated a grey blob on the spiral. The blob was connected to six or seven different coloured lines. "Look, their warder did a hack job to save power. Instead of splitting the more powerful wards into their own origin points, they piggybacked them with the weaker ones. While that holds them in place, it also slowly drains them. I think these are some kind of Dark wards, and the caster has to be inside them at all times to be effective."

"Explains how many wards could be up by one person," Harry said. He pointed his wand to a little black starburst in the spiral, located between two bright green lines. "Dark Mark wards. If we don't have the Mark, an alarm will go off."

Hermione waved her wand, enlarging the spiral. "They're all booby trapped. If one ward goes down on that grey origin point, the alarm will go off."

"But if we overload the origin, we can temporarily get through the seven that's connected to them."

"Then we tackle the single wards." The wards in place indicated that several were tied to a person and a rune, the origin point, and that several were built in. The built in ones were the individual ones that weren't connected to the warder's rune, and were your basic Anti-Apparation et cetera wards.

"Just like Nott Manor," Ron commented. "Rookwood was their warder that time too."

Harry and Hermione nodded. "He's inside, or these wards wouldn't be working. He's a good warder usually, but I think Azkaban drained him too much. Using less power drove him to connect these seven to one rune."

"Idiotic, but effective in the power department," Hermione concluded. "I'm going to fetch some tools, before we do this." She Apparated off, leaving Harry and Ron behind. Harry studied the wards.

"You with me Ron?" he asked.

Ron nodded. "Overload the rune from a distance using anchor stones, run through those seven, and systematically break down the other basics tied to alarm wards using more stones. Done deal."

Hermione returned holding several anchor stones. They would draw power from other wards and store the magic for a short time. She placed four of the small purple rocks on the ground, engraving runes on them with her wand. She did some chanting, and produced the ward spiral again.

"Wait for it," she said, pointing to the seven tied wards. The anchor stones she brought started to hum and glow a little.

Harry and Ron pulled on their hoods, casting some quick concealment charms. The Trio were wearing scarlet cloaks with hoods, covering some basic dragon-hide vests they had purchased some time ago. The cloaks were charmed to burn people who touched them with bare skin, so the Trio were all rather covered up and not standing too close to each other.

The anchor stones stopped glowing, and Hermione indicated to the ward spiral. The seven coloured lines connecting to the grey blob started flashing. Hermione, still under disguise from her trip to buy the stones, pulled her hood on.

Suddenly, the ward lines disappeared. Hermione picked up the anchor stones, and pocketed them. The Trio ran forward, through the now-disabled wards. Hermione cast the ward spiral again, showing the Trio were in the inner wards, not connected to Rookwood's rune.

Hermione produced a few new anchor stones, engraved them with some new runes, and cast the power transfer spells. The stones did their glowing thing again, and Harry and Ron prepared to attack.

The ward spiral suddenly started blinking, indicating that Hermione was successful in destroying them. Hermione pocketed her stones again, and raised her wand.

The Trio bolted to the backyard fence of the modest sized Crouch home. The two story house was some ways off from a Muggle neighbourhood, and had a clumping of forest behind the house's back fence. The trees were where the wards started, and just before the fence was where Rookwood's wards ended.

Harry jumped the back fence, followed by his friends. The backyard was a simple grassy lawn, with several rose bushes, kept by Winky back in the day, arranged off to the sides. The Trio double checked their possessions, and ran towards the back door of the Crouch home. However, Rabastan Lestrange got to them first.

"_Crucio_!" he shouted. Hermione ducked to avoid the spell, and Rabastan leered at them. He was a few feet away from the Trio, just outside the house. "Rodolphus! Bellatrix! Antonin-" he was then Silenced by Harry.

"Sorry Rabastan," Harry simpered. Ron and Hermione conjured pure marble blocks and made a hasty barricade. Rabastan had appeared at the back door, and he went back inside to avoid Harry's Reductor Curse, which blew the door off its hinges.

Harry ran back to hide behind Ron and Hermione's barricade, located halfway between the fence and house. Hermione was doing some chanting and playing with her anchor stones, creating Anti-Apparation wards.

Six Death Eaters, all unmasked and wearing simple robes, all appeared at once with simultaneous spells. Their spells blasted the marble barricade or flew over it, not connecting with the Trio. The back fence, however, was not as lucky.

Harry quickly ascertained the situation. The Carrows and Dolohov were on the house's roof, ducking behind the chimney, the Lestrange trio were throwing spells out of the windows beside the back door, and Rookwood and Travers were not visible.

"Magical sight spells!" he told Ron and Hermione. They both performed the spell, as did Harry. He spotted Travers leaving the back door, and took aim.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" he cried. Travers had no time to dodge, having thought the Trio couldn't see him. The blazing green light connected with Travers' malnourished stomach, and the Death Eater fell to the ground, dead.

"Daniel!" Alecto Carrow cried. Harry had no time to imagine her and Travers being lovers or something, because the Death Eaters upped the ante to some very Dark curses.

"_CONFRINGO!_" Ron and Hermione called, aiming at the roof. It exploded, sending Amycus Carrow flying to the ground. The Trio heard a crack, and Amycus did not stand back up.

Harry was busy trading spells with the Lestranges, who were undoubtedly the most dangerous of the lot, despite being in recovery from Azkaban.

Dolohov, Alecto and the Lestranges were capable of team work, and cried out:

"_Confringo!_" Their simultaneous Blasting Curses destroyed the marble barricade the Trio created, sending several pieces of shrapnel flying. One surprisingly sharp chunk of marble imbedded itself in Hermione's waist.

"Damn!" she cursed. Harry and Ron were on their feet and flinging curses at the Lestranges, and Hermione ducked behind a rose bush to heal herself, throwing the occasional spell towards the half-destroyed roof.

Harry managed to hit Rabastan Lestrange with a Bone-Breaking Hex at the shoulder, causing the man to drop his wand. Bella and Rodolphus decided to get some revenge and took aim. Two Blood-Boiling Curses flew at Harry, who barely had time to dodge one of them. The second one missed him completely, hitting the back fence.

Hermione, having removed the marble chunk and numbed the wound, rejoined the battle with a rapid fire Silver Arrow spell. The name says it all, as two dozen conjured arrows flew towards the roof area. Dolohov dodged and shielded himself, while Alecto wasn't so lucky. She was hit with one of the arrows, and fell through the roof hole, clutching her stomach.

Rabastan Lestrange was back in action, and he started throwing curses with his good arm. Harry decided the Trio needed a new barricade, and pointed his wand at Amycus Carrow's unconscious form.

"_Accio Amycus_!" he called, summoning the Death Eater. Ron grinned at Harry after ducking a curse from Dolohov, and pointed his wand at Amycus.

A quick Bone-Breaking Hex ended Amycus' life, but his solid form made for a good shield. Harry levitated him, and Ron cast a spell to make the Death Eater's robes swish and billow around, blocking the two completely.

Hermione, meanwhile, took a quick dash from her rose bush and dived behind Harry and Ron's Death Eater shield, who was taking the brunt of his friends' spells.

"Where's Rookwood?" Hermione asked, conjuring several floating plates. The plates took the spells the surviving Death Eaters were throwing, shattering upon contact. A dozen of the plate shards tore one of Ron's boots to shreds, and the redheaded stumbled in pain.

"Don't know!" Harry grunted. Bella's Dark Cutting Curse had nicked him in the wand arm, blood spurting out onto Hermione's cloak. "_Reducto! Sectumsempra!_" Both curses hit Rabastan Lestrange, blasting him backwards into the house. He was dead upon the Sectumsempra's contact with his chest.

Harry and Ron's Amycus Carrow shield became useless when Bellatrix and her husband blasted a clear, fleshy, hole through the dead Death Eater. When several curses started to blast through and had to be dodged, Ron turned to Harry questioningly.

"Dolohov?" he asked, shielding himself from a Concussion Hex.

"Dolohov," Harry agreed. He motioned to Hermione who ran back to her rose bush for cover. Along the way, a bluebell flame connected with her foot, her to trip and land face first on the lawn. She gained several cuts and bruises on the face, but made her way to the bush without further injury.

Harry and Ron simultaneously Banished Amycus Carrow towards the roof, where Dolohov was still shooting spells from behind the chimney.

Ron shouted "_Confringo!_" at the exact same time Harry cried: "_Extremuvis Praemium_!_" _

The Blasting Curse destroyed Carrow's body, showering the ground with blood and flesh. A pink mist blocked Dolohov's vision temporarily, so he didn't see Harry's self invented Exploding Curse... until it hit him right between the eyes. The force of the spell obliterated Dolohov's skull all over the roof, and his brain mass became the texture of a very undercooked egg.

Harry and Ron narrowly avoided Killing Curses from Bella and Rodolphus, who were the only two they could see as conscious. They dived behind rose bushes, which quickly erupted in flames upon contact with the Lestranges' curses.

"Bella! Rodolphus!" called the smooth voice of Rookwood. He was inside the house, but the Trio didn't see him. "Crouch is dead! I've got Alecto and sent her on - let's go!"

"Augustus!" Bella snapped. "We're not done, we can get them! Our Lord will be so pleased for killing the ones who killed Rabastan and Antonin!"

"No Bella!" Rookwood called. "Our wards are destroyed, and I think the Aurors are on their way! Grab the Portkey!"

"No way Rookwood," growled Rodolphus. He ducked one of Ron's Bone-Breaking Hexes and replied with a weak Petrification Jinx. "We have to avenge Rabastan!"

"NO!" Rookwood commanded. "Our Lord will not want you two dying as well. Come or I will curse you both!" Spells briefly stopped flying out the back windows, and the Trio moved to approach it.

"Fine," relented Bella. She shot three Killing Curses at the Trio, all three missing and blowing chunks of the lawn up. She grabbed the Portkey Rookwood was holding, motioning for her husband to do the same.

Rodolphus growled, still shooting spells out the window. Rookwood rolled his eyes and muttered: "_Stupefy_."

Bellatrix dragged her husband to the Portkey, and grabbed hold of it. A second later, the three Death Eaters were gone.

Harry, Ron and Hermione noticed the lack of spells, and started to relax a little.

"Check for extras," Harry ordered, checking his wounds. He had a burn on his left arm and several cuts, including a big gash on his cheek. Ron was looking heavily bruised on the neck, and Hermione had a burnt foot and a puncture wound in her stomach. Harry's Exploding Curse had taken quite a bit out of him, so he was feeling rather magically exhausted.

Hermione quickly scanned the area. "No one alive is inside. No one invisible either."

"Plan?" Ron grunted, healing his bruises to the best of his ability. He also examined his left hand. The skin between Ron's middle and index fingers was blackened and oozing purple pus.

"Get in and check things out before the Aurors can come."

Harry and Ron left Hermione to tend to her foot and approached the house. Harry gave Travers a little kick along the way, making sure his curse actually hit the Death Eater. The entire back wall of Crouch's house was riddled with holes, burns, and pieces of Amycus Carrow. A fine pink mist covered the roof and Dolohov's body, half-hanging off the edge of the hole Hermione and Ron created.

The back door was splinters on the ground, and the back windows were completely obliterated. Harry noticed the Lestranges had pushed a table under the windows, using it as cover. The back door lead into the kitchen, which was also quite untidy and covered in some blood. Harry guessed it was Rabastan's, since he didn't remember hitting the other two Lestranges with anything causing that much blood to spurt on the wall.

"Found Rabastan," Ron said, pointing down the hall from the kitchen. Rabastan was lying on the ground with a disjointed shoulder and a large cut in his chest area. His eyes were open in total shock, and Harry smirked.

Harry and Ron checked the living room and dining room, which were both empty of people/bodies, but had some light spell damage and littered Firewhisky bottles. Next to the front door were the stairs to the next floor, and Harry walked up cautiously. At the top of the stairs was a bloodstain, most likely Alecto Carrow's.

Turning to the left, Harry noticed the hole in the roof, dripping some blood onto the carpet. Beyond the bloodied carpet was an open window, that the Carrows and Dolohov used to get up on the roof.

"Merlin..." Ron suddenly breathed, and Harry turned to him. Ron was at the other end of the hallway, peering into a random room. "It's Crouch's study."

Harry joined his friend and looked in. Inside was a neat and precise study that Crouch had locked himself in at Wormtail's Imperius Curse. The only sign of clutter was the parchment on the desk, and the dead body in the middle of the room.

"Well... I wonder how the Ministry's going to spin this?" Harry said, crouching to check Crouch's body. He was unmarked, indicating a Killing Curse death. "Death Eater escapees kill Ministry official... but what's with signs of a battle? They'll be confused... we probably shouldn't of destroyed the roof."

"HARRY! RON!" shouted Hermione from down a floor. Harry and Ron left Crouch and joined her at the bottom of the stairs.

"Aurors are out back in the trees, checking the wards. We have to go," she said hurriedly. Harry noticed her bandaged foot, but didn't inquire.

With that, the Trio Apparated to the Lovegood Getaway, sinking into the kitchen chairs gratefully.

"Thank Merlin we don't have school tomorrow," Ron sighed, rubbing his chest area. Hermione examined Harry's face gash, stopping the bleeding and fixing the skin.

"Thank Merlin that they were weakened because of Azkaban," Harry said, summoning a bottle of Firewhisky. "But four inner circle members? That's probably our record since the Battle of Hogwarts."

"Oh yeah," Ron said. "But you killed three here, instead of two. And Hermione did less structural damage. And I got Carrow again! What a world."

"Shame Malfoy wasn't there," Harry muttered. "But there's always the Third Task isn't there?" Lucius Malfoy and his wife had taken a holiday in France since Fudge's death, to avoid prosecution by Amelia Bones. The holiday may end up being indefinite, but Harry knew daddy Malfoy would show up to kiss his Lord's robes.

"Do we have a plan for that one?" Hermione asked. Before Harry or Ron could answer, she clarified, "We went in half-cocked today boys. Yes, we took down a Lestrange, Carrow, Travers and Dolohov, but what about the graveyard? While Harry is killing Voldemort by himself, we have to capture Wormtail and take down Malfoy, Bella, Rodolphus, Rookwood, Gibbon, Rowle and Alecto. And who knows that Voldemort won't break Nott, Parkison, or Bulstrode out of Azkaban?"

"And they'll be a little stronger," Harry reminded the other two.

"And angrier," Ron said.

"And ready to die for their Lord, instead of fighting three people they didn't know, and are now really pissed at," Harry added.

"Plan?"

"We'll think of something."

Harry, Ron and Hermione returned to Hogwarts later, after taking some of Hermione's healing potions and making sure they didn't look like they just came from a battle. Harry gained a new scar on his wand arm, Ron was still bruised in the chest area, and Hermione walked with a limp for a week, but nothing serious.

..::..--.--..::..

To be continued in Chapter 5...

..::..--.--..::..


	5. Chapter 5 :: The Dumbledore Solution

Disclaimer :: All things Harry Potter are owned by JK Rowling, and it would be quite an insult to her if I were to claim them as my own wouldn't it? Here we go!

To End in Serenity

Written by MattSilver

..::..--.--..::..

Rated because of coarse language, teenage drinking, violence, references to sex, sarcastic humour and slight out of character situations and personalities. You have been warned.

General Notes :: Harry, Ron and Hermione are referred to as the Golden Trio, or just the Trio. Note the capital 'T' when I refer to them. Get used to seeing that.

- Several lines and phrases from the actual books are used occasionally, mostly from the third, fourth and fifth books.

- The backstory of the war is based around some events of HBP and DH, but only basic plot things like Horcruxes and Dumbledore's death are mentioned.

**This chapter is a monster, as is the next one. The problem was that my imagination ran a little wild and several new scenes were added. Hence, the chapter monsterage.**

..::..--.--..::..

Chapter 5 of 6 :: The Dumbledore Solution

..::..--.--..::..

The attack on Crouch's home dominated the _Prophet_'s front page on the following Sunday. Several students and teachers could sleep easier knowing that Dolohov, Travers, Carrow and a Lestrange were dead, and that included Harry, Ron and Hermione.

The article mentioned Crouch's death, and the reporter guessed that Crouch managed to call the Aurors before dying, and the Aurors killed the four Death Eaters. Minister Amelia Bones and DMLE Head Rufus Scrimgeour denied the Aurors killed the Death Eaters, adding to the mystery of who did.

_'We believe that it may have been several vigilantes, or perhaps Crouch himself, who was responsible for the Death Eaters' deaths. Officially, we do not condone such acts.' _

Scrimgeour's quote caused all kinds of chatter throughout the school, but no rumours indicated Harry, Ron and Hermione were the vigilantes. Then again, the world believed they were just students, not time travelling war veterans. A rumour that started spreading said that Dumbledore's secret Order (Which many believed to be an urban myth) were responsible, which was quite amusing to the Trio. Any Order condoned by Dumbledore weren't and would never be killers.

Harry was eating his Love Potion-laced food and chatting up Ginny Weasley. The conversation included several flirty lines, inspired by Aimee. Ginny would not stop blushing, and she never noticed Harry dive into her mind and check if she was an accomplice to the Love Potion plot. She wasn't, and Harry only felt slightly relieved that she wasn't in on the Love Potions.

After Ginny begged off to go study, Harry turned to Ron and Hermione.

"Being under Love Potion isn't fun," he said, causing Hermione to snicker. Ron just glared at Harry, remembering his own Love Potion encounters.

Abandoning his breakfast, Harry headed over to the Hufflepuff table.

"Cedric?" he asked quietly. Cedric stopped eating and turned to him. "Figured out the clue yet?"

Cedric nodded. "Yep. Went for a bath just last night... have you found out any spells to help?"

Harry grinned and whispered, "The only spell I found is your level, not mine. But don't fret fellow champion, I have a plan."

Cedric laughed, and Harry walked off. He was halfway back to his table when he spotted Mad-Eye Moody limping towards his direction.

"Potter," he growled. "Want to chat up in my office for a bit? It's about your last essay."

Harry checked the Head Table. Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape weren't there, so Harry decided to go along with it.

"Sure thing Professor."

Moody led him up a few floors to his office, and Harry was wondering about the man's plan. Crouch Jr's overall plot was to get Harry to that graveyard after the third task and revive the Dark Lord, and the man helping Harry out against Dumbledore seemed a little off. Sure, Voldemort would want Harry and Dumbledore at odds of course, but it would be easier for Harry to be a pawn and easily destroyed by Voldemort. It seemed to be a choice between an independent and feuding Harry Potter or a spineless Harry Potter. It was a fifty-fifty thing.

"So..." Moody said, taking a seat in his office. "You got the clue figured out?"

"Yes," Harry replied. "Dive into the lake, grab something I'll dearly miss... probably Aimee, Ron or Hermione."

Moody nodded sagely. "I heard you mention to Diggory about a plan. Is it nice and easy?"

Harry smirked. "I simply asked my friends if there was a way to breathe underwater for a while, and my friend Neville had this book you gave him. He recommended Gillyweed, and I'm going to get some. Convenient, huh?"

Moody chuckled. "You're a slippery one Potter. Do you remember what I told you last time we talked?"

"About Dumbledore worried I'm turning evil because of Aimee's influence?"

"Yes. That hasn't changed, and I think you may have noticed."

"I've been feeling drawn to Ginny Weasley lately. Is that part of Dumbledore's plan?"

Moody smiled toothily. "Between you and me, it may be part of the plan. I will tell the old man that you're falling for her, and he will be assured that the plan is working."

"Of course he has a plan," Harry muttered. Moody nodded.

"He does. What I said here does not leave the room you hear? Now go back to your friends before Albus finds out you're here."

Harry stood up and left the office. He was getting a bad feeling about this...

..::..--.--..::..

Harry Apparated to Lovegood Getaway after dinner, and found Sirius reading one of the obscure Black family books in the kitchen.

"'_Imaginative Torture Rituals_'," Harry read. "Sirius, are you turning to the dark side?"

Sirius chuckled, and dropped the book. "Light reading," he said. He pulled out a couple of bottles of the Firewhisky/apple cider hybrid and handed one to his godson.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Harry said, taking a sip from his drink.

"I don't blame you. After seeing what you've done... I would be constantly paranoid too."

"It's not just that we've had some close calls," Harry said hesitantly. "It's that we've avoided major problems with easy solutions, and we've been hilariously lucky..."

Sirius smiled wryly. "It may be because you, Ron and Hermione are superheroes, like Tonks keeps saying."

Harry laughed lightly. "Gods no. We have my duelling mind, Ron's strategy mind, and Hermione's knowledgeable mind. That's quite a trio we have."

"A Golden Trio," Sirius announced, swinging his hands around dramatically. "They fight Death Eaters, destroy pieces of Voldemort's soul, break into Gringotts, fuck over the Ministry... sounds like a comic."

"Or bad fiction," Harry muttered.

"Anyways, your luck won't run out Harry. You three are like walking Felix Felicis mashed in with Leprachaun hearts and six-leaved clovers. Unstoppable."

Harry downed the last of his Fire-Apple-Whisky. "We're not unstoppable. Have I told you what happened after Serenity Valley?"

Sirius shook his head and handed his godson more alcohol.

"I'll say that it wasn't easy, so you can imagine that we would jump at the chance to come back in time and fix things," Harry said sadly. "I'm just hoping that we don't see our friends die again."

"Nobody's died yet," Sirius reminded.

Harry shook his head. "But the memory of them dying once before is pretty bad you know? That's why Aimee is the girl I've fallen for, a girl that I never even met in the old timeline. I didn't see her die or fight in a war, and it's refreshing. It's the best feeling in the world."

"The power he knows not," Sirius said jokingly. Harry half-nodded.

"That's pretty much true though. Voldemort is hurt by love, and my grief was fuelled by love you see? Back in the old timeline, me and Voldemort were connected by his Horcrux inside me. I could access the connection and attack him. I used that to my advantage last time, and thus, the prophecy was fulfilled," Harry sighed, "I fucking hate prophecies..."

Sirius snorted.

"Ron and Hermione have each other, and I'm glad I have someone like Aimee, even if it's temporarily. Makes life worth living, aside from the war."

Sirius raised his bottle. "To living life!" he cried. The two bottles clinked upon contact before the two men dissolved into laughter.

The two drank a little more and traded school stories, before the sound of someone Apparating filled the kitchen. Penelope Clearwater entered the room, shrugging off her robes.

"Sirius?"

"Hi Penny," Harry and Sirius said simultaneously, waving. Penny just looked at them exasperatedly, before taking a seat beside Sirius and smiling suggestively. Sirius reciprocated with a goofy grin of his own, and he turned to Harry.

"Harry," Sirius muttered. "Get out please."

Harry stood up from the kitchen table. "Well I better go. Penny, it was a pleasure. Sirius, I'll have another angsty talk sometime later."

..::..--.--..::..

On the night before the day of the Second Task, Harry and Aimee were sitting in the Room of Requirement, doing their coupley thing. The coupley thing being snogging and some light petting.

"Harry?" Aimee asked. Harry stopped his current action in order to listen.

"Yeah?"

"Are you worried about tomorrow?"

"No. What I am worried about is the Harpies' chances against the Wasps."

"Harry, be serious."

"But Sirius is my godfather, and I didn't know you wanted me to be him!"

Aimee dissolved into giggles, and Harry smiled at her. When she was done, he took her hand.

"What I'm really worried about," he said seriously, "Is what Dumbledore is going to pull. He already doubled the Love Potion increase so much I had to curse Michael Corner (Who's going out with Ginny), but it won't be enough. Constant vigilance and all that Aimee, be on it tomorrow."

"I will," she said softly, caressing Harry's cheek. Harry smiled again, and the two happily dove into the boyfriend-girlfriend stuff most hormonal teens do.

As midnight approached, the two reluctantly parted towards their Common Rooms. Harry's goofy smile quickly evaporated when he found Hermione sitting in an armchair, holding a bag and looking rather weary.

"Got the Gillyweed," she said, handing him the bag. Harry pocketed it, and noticed Ron's absence.

"They got Ron for the task?" he asked. Hermione nodded.

"Yes. It's a trap Harry," she said seriously.

"It's a trap. I go underwater and get Ron, Dumbledore sends his lackeys to nab Aimee or something. Plan?"

Hermione assumed her 'thinking mode' pose. "Plan... are Sirius, Remus and Tonks coming?"

Harry nodded. "Penelope too, as Padfoot's owner. I can't wait to see if Percy has a conniption when she shows up."

Hermione smiled tightly. "Have those four be with Aimee in the crowd. I'll be with her too, under your cloak. I'll curse someone if I have to."

Harry shook his head. "That's a sticky wicket isn't it? We don't want anyone to know we're onto them."

"Maybe..." Hermione sighed, "Maybe you have to kill Dumbledore."

Harry gaped at her. "What... I mean... how... when did we first meet?"

"On the Hogwarts Express, 1991. I asked if you had seen Neville's toad," she replied instantly. "I'm the real Hermione Jean Granger, but I'm also thinking it over logically. Maybe Dumbledore will have a heart attack tomorrow..."

Harry nodded. "Maybe."

Hermione yawned, and stood up. "I'm tired. Be prepared for anything Harry. See you tomorrow." She took off towards her dorm, and Harry went to his own.

"I'm tired too," Harry muttered, upon entering the room. Things were getting fuzzy, and Harry banged his knee on Neville's bed while trying to reach his own. As he stumbled through the curtains of his four-poster, he had a thought: Why was he suddenly dizzy and everything was fuzzy? Why did it feel like he had been given a Sleeping Draught?

With those thoughts plaguing his mind, Harry fell dead asleep.

..::..--.--..::..

Over the night, Dumbledore enacted his multi-layered plan.

Aimee Moon was taken from her dorm and locked up somewhere safe by Professor Snape. Only the greasy git had the key, and he would be guarding the office all the next day.

Hermione Granger was dosed with a combination of potions, and placed in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. The plan was to keep her occupied for a few days by being in a magical coma and having a bushy tail.

Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were placed under a day long Sleeping Draught and locked in Tonks' flat.

Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle were called into a three hour conference with Dumbledore and Moody. Dumbledore explained their roles in the day's events, and they all agreed to help out. An Invisibility Cloak and two vats of Polyjuice Potion were supplied to the Order members.

Dumbledore and Moody spent four hours looking for Sirius Black, but did not find out where he was hiding, even after using the most powerful Light Tracking Charms. They would try and get him if he showed up at the task the next day.

Meanwhile, Harry would sleep in until ten minutes before the task was going to start. He would not have a chance to notice Hermione was gone, Remus and Tonks hadn't showed up, and Aimee was locked in Snape's office.

..::..--.--..::..

"Potter! Get up!" cried Professor McGonagall, shaking Harry awake.

Harry was up with a start, feeling extremely drowsy. Things were fuzzy, until he remembered the previous night. The feeling of being drugged had overcome him by the time he got back to his dormitory. Some sort of Sleeping Draught variant, he supposed. The draught's effects were supposed to kick in at a certain time or when he entered his dorm. He never detected the potion in his food, thinking that it was only laced with Love Potion, not Sleeping Draught. He had been drugged, and only Dumbledore would be behind it.

"What time is it?" he asked instantly, picking up his wand from the bedside table.

"Mr. Potter, the task will start in ten minutes," McGonagall replied. Harry nodded and got changed quickly. After ditching his watch, he picked up the Gillyweed and checked it was all there. It was, and he waved at McGonagall's direction.

"After you," he said evenly. McGonagall left the dorm, and Harry followed a minute later, grabbing a spare wand and his pocket knife. He strapped the spare wand under his shorts in a thigh holster, which was Disillusioned to anyone else. It was also unable to be Summoned while in the holster by anyone but Harry. In fact, Harry was relying on having to wandlessly Summon that wand sometime in the day.

McGonagall led Harry all the way down to the first floor, and Harry was thinking fast. The feeling of being extremely tired was still there, but he could at least walk without stumbling. He had no doubt the cold water of the lake would definitely wake him up, and he knew that was part of the plan. He would be so tired in the trip to the lake, he would not have time to think why he his friends weren't there. But the fact that McGonagall was waking him up and not Hermione or Aimee, it could be assumed they were incapacitated.

"Dumbledore is a dead man," Harry murmured. McGonagall didn't hear him, thankfully. "So dead."

He and McGonagall reached the Entrance Hall, and Harry almost felt hopeful at the sight of his Defense Professor/Death Eater enemy awaiting them.

"I've got him from here, Professor McGonagall," said Moody. McGonagall nodded stiffly and walked out to the grounds. Once she had left, Moody turned to Harry. "Trip me," he mouthed.

Harry didn't even think twice and blasted Moody's fake leg with a wandless Reductor. Moody fell to the ground, surprised and a little bemused.

"Good work lad," Moody growled. He sat on the ground and started to repair his leg with his wand. "This might take a few minutes, so come down to my level and help."

"Sure thing sir," Harry muttered, crouching down. Moody continued his work, and whispered as he went along, not looking at Harry.

"They got your friends boy. Mr Weasley is at the bottom of the lake. Miss Granger is in the Hospital Wing, and will be for a few days. Tonks and Lupin are drugged and locked in Tonks' apartment. Miss Moon has been locked up."

Harry cursed. "Fuck the Task. Where's Aimee?"

Moody glared at him. "No! Go to the lake boy, you have to make it seem like you don't know what's going on! Albus is going to remove Weasley after you come out of the lake, too. He's got Diggle, Shacklebolt and Jones out there, doing some of his dirty work."

"Wait, he knows Ron and Hermione are involved?"

Moody nodded. "He knows that they're not as on his side as he might think. He wants you all to himself boy."

"What'll happen?" Harry asked.

"Jones will be there posing as Pomfrey. She will give Weasley a potion to incapacitate him for some time. Diggle's under Polyjuice, and is looking for Sirius Black. When the task is over, Diggle, Jones and Shacklebolt have different missions. Diggle will be posing as you under Polyjuice, Jones will be in the Hospital Wing, pretending to be Poppy Pomfrey for the day, and Shack is tasked with getting you. He'll be under my Invisibility Cloak, and will take you down when you're alone in the halls. Dumbledore wants you captured quickly and easily, and he's ordered Kingsley to take you up to his office."

"And where will you be?"

Moody grinned and pulled on his fake leg. "I'll be up in Dumbledore's office, waiting for him to bring you up."

Harry was about to head out of the Hall and to the lake, but he had a thought. "That's pointless, Moody. Why would you tell me this? And you want me to go along with it all?"

Moody growled, and poked a gnarled finger at Harry's chest. "Listen, Potter. Do you want Dumbledore off your back? You need to play his game, boy. He will be combing your mind and making sure you're not a threat. He will deprogram you and make you his golden boy, but I have a solution. When you're back out in the general population, I will be giving you several potions that will give you back what you lost. It will make you yourself again, and we can work on you being under Dumbledore's radar this time. You may have to break it off with Miss Moon, though, or Dumbledore will think you're still a problem."

Harry nodded. He was not going to let Moody know that Dumbledore would never get in his head, and Albus' planning would be washed down the drain today. Harry didn't want Dumbledore to know about the war, all the things Harry, Ron and Hermione did during the war, and the fact the Trio went back in time. No, Dumbledore would not comprehend that at all. He had two options: One, Obliviate himself and make sure Dumbledore didn't find out about the time travel. Option one was probably not going to happen. Option two: Take care of Albus Dumbledore.

Perhaps the old man would be having a heart attack today.

..::..--.--..::..

Harry arrived at the lake just in time to have one of the judges snap at him.

"Where have you been?" Percy Weasley chided. "The task's about to start!"

"Now, now, Percy," said Bagman, smiling at Harry. "Let him catch his breath."

Harry quickly scanned the crowd, not seeing any friendly faces until catching Penny's eye. She was standing next to a dark skinned man with a broad smile on his face. Harry laughed internally - Sirius was in disguise quite well.

Bagman turned to the crowd. "Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three..."

As Bagman started the count, Harry pulled the Gillyweed out, removed his socks and shoes, and prepared for the dive. As he placed the Gillyweed in his mouth, he looked at Dumbledore. The Headmaster was sitting with a smile that told volumes about his happiness about things going his way. If Harry didn't want to attract attention, he would've flipped him off.

The whistle sounded, and Harry dived into the water. The Gillyweed took effect, and Harry submerged into the lake, having transformed into a fish-like creature. It wasn't as weird as the first time he took Gillyweed, but it wasn't exactly pleasant either.

Remembering the way to the Merpeople Village, Harry took off at a leisurely pace. He passed the occasional Grindylow, but nothing serious. He arrived at the village in time to see Cedric untie Cho and take her up.

Harry found Ron tied to a rock beside Gabrielle Delacour and Krum's date from the Yule Ball, and produced his knife. As he cut the ropes, he pondered the eventual death of Dumbledore. Would he outright kill the man? Try to reason with him? Would he get Dobby to poison the Headmaster's food? He didn't want any attention or suspicion by outright attacking Dumbledore in public.

"What would Ron and Hermione do?" Harry asked himself. Ron would come up with some complicated strategy involving a lot of timed events and luck, and Hermione would have a few spells that could make it look like Dumbledore's death wasn't a murder. However, Harry doubted his friends would be really helping out today.

Ron was untied by the time Viktor Krum reached the village, and Harry didn't linger to save Gabrielle. He shot up to the surface of the lake, Ron in tow. The two got to the top of the lake easily, with no pesky Grindylows blocking his way.

By the time he emerged to the surface, the Gillyweed had worn off. Ron awoke, looking rather drowsy. Harry guessed he was under a stronger dose of Sleeping Draught than the other hostages.

"Harry?" he slurred, straightening himself up.

The two swam to shore slowly, and Harry whispered, "They got Aimee, Hermione, Remus and Tonks. Sorry Ron, but looks like they'll be getting you too. Be a team player."

Ron didn't say anything, but adopted a determined look on his face. Upon reaching the shore, Harry and Ron were huddled over by Madam Pomfrey and Percy Weasley.

"Move, Mr Weasley," Pomfrey barked. Percy continued to fuss over his younger brother, who just swatted him away. Pomfrey gave Harry and Ron two blankets, and shoved a vial into Ron's hands. "Drink."

Ron nodded, and gave Harry an absentminded pat on the shoulder. The redhead downed the potion, and took a seat on the grass, wrapping a blanket around himself. Harry took a seat beside him, and Madam Pomfrey handed another potion to Harry.

"Take this, Potter," she ordered. Harry accepted the vial, and uncorked it. Pomfrey wandered off to check on Krum and his hostage, and Harry dumped the potion's contents on the ground beside him. He Vanished the contents with his wand, and placed the wand on the ground beside him. As expected, an invisible hand picked up his wand and took it. Harry knew that was going to happen anyway, and ignored his current state of being unarmed.

"Harry?" Ron asked, shaking. Harry noticed his friend had paled and was sweating profusely. "I don't feel so good."

Harry nodded. "Sorry Ron."

Ron's eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell to the ground. He stopped shaking, but the skin complexion and sweat hadn't faded. Harry didn't have to do anything, as Cho cried out:

"Madam Pomfrey!"

The Mediwitch abandoned Krum and rushed over to the unconscious Ron. "Mr Potter, what happened here?"

"I don't know," Harry said. He noticed that Dumbledore was approaching the scene with Bagman in tow. "He just started shaking and fell to the ground."

"I'm no Healer," Dumbledore said softly, appearing at Madam Pomfrey's side. "But I believe he is suffering from hypothermia."

Pomfrey nodded. "I better take him up to the Hospital Wing."

"Perhaps we should've held this task in the warmer months," Bagman mused. He didn't look that concerned though, and Harry guessed that it was his idea to take a dip in the lake in February.

While they were distracted, Harry covered his legs with the blanket, and carefully pulled his spare wand from its holster and activated a magical sight spell. Sure enough, Kingsley Shacklebolt was crouched at his side, wand pointed at the Harry's chest area. Harry shifted his wand back to its holster, and peered at the crowd. Penny and the disguised Sirius were looking on curiously, but weren't trying to approach him. He locked eyes with Sirius and gave the slightest shake of the head, and his godfather nodded.

As Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall levitated Ron away, Percy came over to Harry's little area of the grass.

"Simple fever really," he said pompously. "Bad reaction to the cold water, according to Professor Dumbledore." Harry nodded, and decided to get rid of Percy quickly.

"Hey Percy," he said, pointing to Penny and the disguised Sirius. "Is that Penelope Clearwater over there?"

Percy frowned. "Yes. She came to watch the task with her friend Antonio. That Antonio was completely disrespectful to a Ministry official!"

"So, you got promoted because Crouch died?" Harry asked. Percy smiled proudly.

"I was the best candidate for the job after Mr Crouch's unfortunate death."

Harry nodded, and Percy stalked over to the judge's table. Fleur and Gabrielle had come out of the lake, and it was time for the judges to gain scores for the champions. Harry almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all. He had bigger fish to fry than the Tournament scores. Eventually, after five minutes or so, Bagman finally turned to the crowd, grinning broadly.

"Ladies and gentleman, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcrus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the Champions, as follows...

"Miss Fleur Delacour, through use of a Bubble-Head Charm, rescued her hostage last and came out of the lake last. We have awarded her forty-one points.

"Mr Cedric Diggory, who also used a Bubble-Head Charm, was first to rescue and return with his hostage. We awarded him forty-four points.

"Mr Vitkor Krum, transfigured himself effectively to reach his hostage third and bring her to the surface third. We therefore awarded him forty-one points.

"Mr Harry Potter, using Gillyweed, reached his hostage second, and was the second to arrive. We awarded him forty-two points."

Harry smiled tightly at the crowd as they applauded the champions. Harry's total of eighty-six would put him first in the maze, followed by Cedric's eighty-five points, Fleur's eighty-one, and Viktor's eighty. Being first in that maze would certainly help things along, though Harry still didn't like the Tournament at all.

"Well done, Harry," Dumbledore said, approaching Harry after the scores were read out. "You're first my boy. First in a tournament you weren't sure you would win."

"How about that," Harry said, not making eye contact with the future deceased Headmaster. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, Albus, but I need to go up the Hospital Wing and see Ron. Then I'll need to find Hermione and Aimee."

Dumbledore waved him off, smiling serenely. Harry walked up the castle behind the crowd of other students, aware that Kingsley was still following him. Penny and Sirius had already left, but Harry needed to get a message to them soon. With Kingsley still following, that wouldn't be happening.

As Harry entered the Entrance Hall, he placed a hand on his leg, preparing to wandlessly summon his spare wand. Kingsley would be taking him down in an abandoned corridor, so Harry decided to help things along. He turned into a shortcut to the Hospital Wing, and checked that the coast was clear.

It was, and Harry flipped his hand into a catching pose and cried, _"Accio Wand_!" His wand zoomed out of its holster and Harry caught it easily. Kingsley was now behind him, and did indeed see Harry point his wand over his shoulder.

"_Stupefy_!" he cried. Kingsley's eyes widened under the cloak, and he dodged the spell. Harry pivoted and swung his arm widely. "_Stupefy! Rumpus Bonea! Impactus! Impedimenta! Reducto! Stupefy!" _Harry's successive spells were a little easier to dodge, but Kingsley still took a Reducto to the chest, and the follow up Stunner. The Auror never got a chance to return any spells.

The Invisibility Cloak flew off of Kingsley as he skidded across the passageway and banged into the wall. Harry quickly fired off another Stunner for good measure, and bounded over to the Order member's unconscious form.

"And I thought you were an okay guy," Harry said. He snapped Kingsley's wand, and fished around Kingsley's pockets under he found his wand. He placed the spare in its thigh holster, and took back his normal wand. The spare was bought over the summer, and wasn't as compatible as the Holly and Phoenix feather, but still a good match.

Leaving Kingsley in the hallway for a moment, Harry composed a Patronus message and sent it to Sirius. It said: "Sirius, things are going down here. I'm going to get Aimee and bring her to you, stay put please. Looks like the old man will be kicking it today."

A few minutes later, Sirius' Patronus, a black sheep, found Harry with its own message: "Got it, Harry. Just so you know, I told Penny the truth about the three of you, and she's willing to help out with whatever you have planned. Stay safe and don't be afraid to ask for my help."

Harry wasn't truly surprised that Penny was in on the time travel secret, nor was he angry that Sirius probably blurted it out during a lovemaking session. He needed to find out where Aimee was, but he had a good guess. Nevertheless, he bound Kingsley to the wall and woke him up.

"Morning, Shack," he said. He pointed his wand to Kingsley's kneecaps. "I want answers now, or you become the Peg-Leg Shacklebolt. Where's Aimee?"

Kingsley paled at the threat, but didn't back down. "Go see Dumbledore, Harry. You're in trouble, boy. You need to be fixed."

"Wrong answer," Harry said. He lifted Kingsley's left leg up and poked his wand behind Kingsley's knee. "_Silencio_," he added. Now Silenced, Kingsley could only watch and mouth out protests and Harry mentally went over the spells he could use to destroy Kingsley's kneecap. Remembering what Ron did to Snape a few months ago, he grinned.

The spell was a rather grey curse that put a lot of kinetic force on an object and compressed it outwards. When used on the kneecap, the spell would force the bone and muscle to explode outwards and shower the nearby area with bits of leg. If powerful enough, Kingsley wouldn't be walking on two feet anytime soon.

Harry performed the spell, and had to tilt his head to avoid the coagulated mass of blood, bone and muscle. Kingsley screamed silently, and Harry wished he hadn't put as much force in the spell. He didn't want Kingsley passing out or anything from blood loss.

"I'll ask again," he said calmly. He added Silencing Charms around the corridor, and un-Silenced Kingsley. The trained Auror was used to pain undoubtedly, but there was pain and there was _PAIN_. "Where's Aimee?"

"Snape's office," Kingsley panted. Harry nodded, and Stunned the man. After cleaning some of the blood off the floor, Harry did a hasty memory modification removing the last month or so from Kingsley's mind. He transfigured Kingsley into a chess piece, and pocketed it.

"One down," he muttered. He left the passageway after putting on Kingsley's Invisibility Cloak, and made his way down the dungeons where Snape's office was located. He had his magical sight spell on the whole time, and didn't spot any more invisible Order members. However, Snape was standing outside of his office door, and he spotted Harry through the Cloak.

"Potter!"

"Snivellus," Harry said, removing the Cloak. He wasn't wearing a watch, but he knew that he didn't have much time to take care of Snape and get Aimee back to the Lovegood Getaway before Dumbledore or the other Order members got suspicious.

"Oh Potter, are you here to save your girlfriend?" Snape sneered, wand raised.

"Oh yes, Snivvy," Harry taunted. A little part of his mind told him that killing Snape would not be the best idea. But if Dumbledore was going to be killed today, why not kill Snape as well? His moral compass told him that not everything could be solved with killing, but Harry didn't have much time to ponder that, as Snape had sent a Stunner his way. He stepped to the side to avoid it, but didn't shoot a reply spell.

"Potter, your family are full of arrogant wankers," Snape declared. "You are a pathetic child! Do you believe you can defeat me and defy Albus Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore is a man," Harry said determinedly. "A flawed, twisted man. He was probably a great wizard once, but that prophecy did something to him. He needed to take control to stop Voldemort, and he ruined my fucking life to do it."

"The Golden Boy didn't like to be anything less than pampered? I'm shocked."

"Don't cross this line, Snivellus," Harry said. If Snape replied by taunt or spell, he was a dead man. "Don't go being a fucking twat now."

Snape lost his Occlumency-built facade and snarled viciously. "_Chalybs Incarcero_!"

Steel ropes shot out of Snape's wand, but Harry was ready. He deflected the ropes easily, and Harry replied with a Tongue-Tying Curse. That one hit true, and Snape's tongue locked to the top of his jaw. He didn't let that stop him though, and shot three non-verbal Stunners.

Harry used a basic Shield Charm to stop two and conjured a rock to take care of the third, and waved his wand in a clockwise circle followed by a jab, shouting, _"Expello Pulsus_!"

The Banishing Charm connected with Snape's hip, making the man stumble into a nearby wall. Harry sent three Stunners followed by a Silver Arrow and a Reductor, all spells being blocked or deflected.

"Come on Snivvy!" Harry taunted. Snape had freed himself of the Tongue-Tying Curse, and was shooting progressively Darker spells. Harry replied with a mixture of basic shields and Stunners. When Harry's shoulder was clipped by a weak Dark Cutter, he decided to up the ante.

"_Levicorpus_!" he thought. The spell hoisted Snape up by his ankle, and he couldn't do anything. The Potions Master dropped his wand, and shot Harry a look of loathing. _"Langlock_!"

Snape's mouth was tied up again, and Harry doubted he could do wandless and non-verbal magic. Feeling relatively safe, Harry decided to play with Snape a little. In the old timeline, Harry and Snape's duel was rather long, and ended with a bit of blood involved. This time, Harry gained the upper hand much quicker, and felt like taunting the man would do some good.

"Severus Snape," Harry announced. "Born on January 9th, 1960. Sorted into Slytherin in 1971, but with surprisingly Gryffindor traits. You're stupidly brave, trying to fight Dumbledore and Voldemort at the same time, but that's a talent of cunning as well."

Snape was glaring at Harry, who continued speaking blandly. "You earned 10 OWLs, 6 NEWTs, and graduated into Death Eater Academy. Along with your friends, you bent over backwards to your Darker sides. But, you sensed the war would end after overhearing a certain prophecy.

"You ran to Dumbledore and played the old man like a prize fool, thanks to Occlumency. You could stop both Dumbledore and Voldemort from penetrating your mind, which is the only thing I'll give you positive credit for. After Lily Potter sacrificed herself to defeat Voldemort temporarily, you were placed under Dumbledore's thumb as the Potions Professor.

"And then I came along. _Crucio_," Harry spat. Snape twitched under Harry's curse, but he didn't scream, as he was tongue-tied. "You made my life hell in your class. A teacher that sabotaged work, barely let me scrape through class, and enjoyed making an eleven year-old suffer. Severus Snape, that was your life."

Harry noticed the watch on Snape's forearm, and checked the time. No more time to dilly-dally and make Snape suffer. As Crouch Jr would say, nice and easy would do the trick.

"Severus Snape." Harry aimed his wand between Snape's eyes. "This is your death."

Snape shot Harry one final look of the purest loathing and hatred, still twitching slightly from Harry's Cruciatus Curse.

"_Sectumsempra_!"

Harry kept his eyes open, but they were soon covered in Snape's blood and brain matter, which spurted in all directions. Harry closed his blood-covered eyes, and breathed deeply. No time to reminisce about Snape's death though, as Dumbledore might be getting suspicious by now. In hindsight, Harry's murder of Snape this time around was much more sadistic than how he was usually. Snape just invoked a lot of crazy reactions sometimes.

A quick Cleaning Charm wiped the blood from Harry's face and most of the wall and floor. Harry transfigured Snape's body and pocketed the black chess piece. Snape's wand joined the man's transfigured form in Harry's pocket. The wand would be joining Harry's Firebolt on the mantel at the Lovegood Getaway.

After making sure he wasn't covered in blood, or that no one had seen him fight and eventually kill Snape, Harry broke through Snape's wards around the office and kicked the door in.

"Aimee?" he whispered, wand raised. By now, he would expect anything from rabid House Elves to Snape having cloned himself using Dark magic.

Harry didn't find his girlfriend in Snape's immediate office, and headed to the deceased man's quarters. He found Aimee lying on the ground beside Snape's bed, sleeping. She appeared unharmed, and nothing seemed out of place. Harry sighed in relief, picked her up and took her back to the office area.

Harry headed over to Snape's fireplace, and threw some Floo Powder into the fire. Before he stepped through, he noticed a few vials of a certain potion sitting on Snape's desk. He pocketed a few of them, before taking Aimee into the emerald flames and calling out:

"Lovegood Getaway!"

..::..--.--..::..

"Merlin Harry! You've got blood on your clothes!" Sirius said as Harry stepped out of the flames. He silently took Aimee to the living room and placed her on the couch gently. She didn't make a sound, and Harry assumed she was under a heavy Sleeping Draught.

"Sorry, Sirius," Harry said, looking at his shirt. "Thought I cleaned off all of it. It's either Snape's or Kingsley's."

"Oh," Sirius said. Harry made sure Aimee was comfortable on the couch before cleaning his shirt magically. "How are things?"

"Not good," Harry answered. He tapped his wand to his forehead and called upon the memory of the day's events. "You really told Penny everything?"

Sirius nodded. "I did. Do you have a problem with that?"

Harry shook his head, and produced a silvery strand from his forehead. He made his way to the Pensieve sitting on a small table beside the couch, and placed the memory inside it. "Not really. I know good memory charms if need be. Here is what's happening today."

Sirius didn't say anything as Harry produced Snape's wand from his robes and placed in the mantel next to his Horntail blood-covered Firebolt. "Look familiar?" Harry asked, gesturing to the wand.

Sirius came over and studied the wand. "Snape," he breathed.

"He's dead," Harry added. "I'm going to return to Hogwarts and take care of Dumbledore, Sirius. If I don't come back, try to contact Ron and Hermione. Aimee will be sleeping for a while, so just leave her. Show Penny the memory too, and wait here. If I'm able to come back, I'll be here in a few hours."

"Sure thing, Harry," Sirius said, nodding. "Penny's gone to wake up Remus and Dora over at Dora's place. Don't you worry about that."

"I won't."

"Be careful, Harry," Sirius said worriedly. Harry pulled his godfather in for a tight hug.

"I will, Sirius."

..::..--.--..::..

Upon arriving back at Hogwarts through Snape's Floo, Harry made his way up towards the seventh floor. On the way, he noticed the Great Hall was filled with students eating dinner, but he knew Dumbledore wasn't there. He knew Dumbledore was up on the seventh floor.

Harry was mentally and physically preparing himself as he walked up to Dumbledore's office. He double-checked his spare wand was in place, Snape's transfigured body was still there, and that he had the vials he picked up in Snape's office charmed to be Unbreakable. Harry probably looked quite threatening, being that his clothes were still slightly wet from the lake, there was a bit of Kingsley's knee in his hair, and he was wearing a steely expression on his face. Poor Dennis Creevey took one look at Harry after passing him on the staircases before fleeing to the Great Hall in fear.

Upon arriving at the seventh floor, Harry took a quick trip to the Room of Requirement, leaving the door open as he left. He turned a few corners and arrived near the gargoyles guarding Dumbledore's office. He prepared a Patronus message, and sent it to Dumbledore.

"Come alone, Albus. I've got Aimee back, and Kingsley's not following me anymore," he said clearly. "Head to the classroom opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls how to tap dance. Come alone, and we'll talk things out. You want answers, and I will give them to you. I want answers, and you will give them to me. If you decide not to come, that's fine. But know this. I am not above killing you. Trust me, you will die or we will talk. Your choice."

Harry sent the message and headed to the Room of Requirement, specifically designed to look like a classroom. Harry took a seat behind the desk at the front of the room, and conjured a squashy armchair for Dumbledore to sit in opposite. Harry placed his wand on the desk and pointed it to the chair, keeping his spare wand hidden on his thigh, undetectable by magical means.

A Phoenix Patronus flew into the room, leaving a reply message: "I will be there momentarily, Harry. I will be alone if you are, and you will not have to make good on that threat of yours."

The Headmaster's tone was lightly scolding and soft, as if trying to subdue a wild animal without being bitten. Harry's new plan depended on Dumbledore deciding to trust Harry, playing on the old man's unwavering skill of always trusting people.

Dumbledore arrived minutes later, wand in hand and wearing a sombre expression on his face. He entered the room cautiously, before taking the chair indicated opposite of Harry. Harry kept a blank expression on his face.

"Albus."

"Harry."

Harry called the Room of Requirement in supplying an empty bowl on the desk. "Sorry Albus, it seems I'm out of lemon drops."

Albus smiled bemusedly, and tried attacking Harry's Occlumency shields. "Indeed."

Harry repelled Albus' attempt, and leaned back in his own chair. "Put your wand down, Albus. Mine is."

Albus nodded and placed his wand next to Harry's on the desk, returning to his sombre expression. "Harry, my boy, are you aware of what you have done?"

Harry laughed, although there was nothing really funny about the situation. "What have I done, Albus? Tell me, what have I done?"

"You need help, Harry," Albus said softly. "You know Dark Magic, you befriend Slytherins, you appear to totally calm about the Triwizard Tournament. You made a death threat against me, and Kingsley and Snape are missing. I dearly hope you have not taken a life, Harry. A pure soul should not be tainted by using Dark Magic, and you have a pure soul, Harry."

Harry kept a neutral look on his face. "Is that so? I can do magic considered Dark by the close minded people of the Ministry and your regime simply because its powerful. I'm falling in love with a girl who happens to be sorted in a house known for cunning and ambition, not pure evil. I'm calm about the Tournament because my upbringing taught me how to repress things, and after years of dealing with death threats and adventures, I'm staying neutral and not outwardly showing problems. I have killed before, but never someone who never deserved it. Justice has its uses, but it is not essential when you are at war. My soul will never be pure."

Albus said nothing, looking progressively sadder as Harry went on.

"I was a Horcrux of Voldemort," Harry said. Albus' eyebrows raised in shock. "My soul was doomed from the start, but I'm not a Dark magic addict. I often wondered, one I learnt some Darker stuff, why I wasn't becoming as insane as Voldemort. Hermione theorised that my mother's sacrifice helped that out, and I think that works."

"Love is a powerful force," Albus said softly. "And you believe that Dark spells are fine to use? My boy, you are veering on the wrong path."

"You put me there," Harry asserted. "You stuck me with the Dursleys-"

"To keep you safe."

"Fuck your safety precautions!" Harry shouted. "Who kept me safe from the Dursley family? Your unwavering trust in some people sickens me Albus. You let a murderer and rapist like Snape teach children. Do you know how Snape got his Dark Mark, Dumbledore? I believe the woman he tortured, raped and murdered was named Mary MacDonald, who slept in the same room as my mother for seven years!"

"Severus Snape loved your mother, Harry."

"No he did not, you ignorant shit! He was fascinated by the way she was compassionate to her at first, but he gained his father's genes and started to see women as objects. Years later, he asked Voldemort to spare her so that he could have a plaything, something that James Potter had. Please! I'm glad I killed Snape!"

Albus' hand dove for his wand on the desk before him, and he pointed it at Harry's heart in a surprisingly quick gesture.

"What did you do, Harry? Did you kill Severus?"

Harry smirked a little, and wandlessly summoned his own wand. Upon catching it, he said, "And if I did? You push me Dumbledore, and I push back. Snape didn't deserve anything less than being hung upside down and had his face cleaved in two."

Harry produced the transfigured Snape from his robes. In a smooth motion, Harry threw the chess piece at Dumbledore, turning it back into the Potions Professor. Before Albus could do anything, Snape's body was lying on his lap.

"Proof," Harry said snidely. "Enough about Snape, Albus. You know how you have wronged me, so let's not go there. You would just tell me it was for the greater good, wouldn't you? Now, you have to be taken care of!"

Harry stood up and called upon the Room of Requirement to lock the door. Once that was done, Harry deflected Albus' first Stunning Spell. Snape's body was on the desk, and Albus was on his feet, enchanting the nearby chairs and tables and sending them towards Harry. The Boy-Who-Lived blocked the first few volleys and replied with a few Reductors.

Harry called on the Room to shift into a tiled room lined with chamber pots, and Snape's body disappeared. The chairs and tables Albus were enchanting had also disappeared, and the old man was looking very confused at the sudden change. Harry allowed himself to smirk a little, before putting his game face on and Banishing the chamber pots to Albus' feet. The old wizard proved his Transfiguration prowess by morphing the incoming pots and turning them into ceramic lions.

The lions pounced at Harry, who dispatched them using a combination of _Confringo _and _Sectumsempra_. Dumbledore conjured ropes, and Harry was caught off guard as the thick rope tied around his left wrist. Harry cut them off with a quick spell, before turning his attention to the rest of Dumbledore's spells. If Harry didn't hate the man, he would be impressed at his skill and power. However, Dumbledore was not fighting a duel that he expected to end in Harry's death, so Harry had the advantage of not holding back.

Harry had the Room shift into a large desert with an oasis to one side, and spelled the sand beneath Dumbledore's feet to draw the old man in and bury him. Dumbledore, still caught off guard from the room shift, was sinking into the sand before he acted. He blocked Harry's curse volley with a large shield, and dispelled the sand wandlessly. Once free, he ducked to avoid Harry's Bone-Breaking Hex, and replied with several Tremor Jinxes on the ground before him.

The sand exploded in Harry's face, and he flew backwards into the oasis' water. The temperature of the water increased after Harry landed, and he had to move quickly to avoid being scalded by the boiling water. He called on the Room again, and the water evaporated. Dumbledore had already conjured several more ropes and used a Tremor Jinx on the sand, and Harry had to take care of both problems at once. However, this left him open for Dumbledore to clip him with a light Cutting Curse.

The sand beneath his feet exploded again, and Harry skidded to the ground, dropping his wand. He wandlessly summoned his wand and shielded Dumbledore's next spell, and called on the Room of Requirement to shift again. The room became less sandy and an icy platform appeared. Dumbledore slipped a little on the ice, and Harry used a Trip Jinx to further take down the man. The old man fell straight on his back, and caught Harry's Bone-Breaking Hex in the ankle.

Dumbledore was quicker than his age gave credit to, and he was on his feet again in moments, deflecting Harry's spells with shields and conjured rocks. He bound his broken ankle and used a spell to numb the pain, before turning attention to the ice before him. He melted the patch around Harry's feet, and the younger dueller sunk into the icy water a little. Before Harry could jump out of the pool, Dumbledore had already frozen it again, encasing Harry's feet in ice.

"Surrender, Harry," he commanded. Harry shook his head, and wandlessly destroyed the ice beneath him with a Reductor.

"Sorry, Albus," Harry replied. He used a Tremor Jinx to blast the ice around Dumbledore's feet. Dumbledore leaped to the left, landing painfully on his numbed ankle. Albus stumbled a little, and couldn't dodge Harry's next Tremor. The ice around his feet exploded, several shards of ice piercing the old man's withered skin.

Harry followed the Tremor Jinx with a chain of Blasting Hexes, Cutting Curses, a Bone-Breaking Hex and a Blood Boiling Curse. Dumbledore, on his knees, was able to defeat most, but caught the Blood Boiling Curse. It was easy enough to dispel upon the first contact, and Dumbledore did so. Harry shot off a few Impediment Jinxes before calling on the Room again.

The Room of Requirement turned into a large Roman-style colosseum. Harry blocked Dumbledore's first spells, and replied with several obscure hexes and jinxes. Dumbledore was slightly distracted by a Tooth-Growing Hex hitting him, but he non-verbally stopped his front teeth from reaching past his bottom lip. The Headmaster used a Levitation Spell to glide upwards and out of the pit he and Harry were trading spells in.

Dumbledore landed up on the spectator stands, and enchanted the stone benches lining the stands to block Harry's incoming spells. Harry momentarily distracted Dumbledore by conjuring a snake and Banishing it to Dumbledore's groin area, but the old man managed to destroy the snake before it bit him. Dumbledore's enchantment of the stone benches was finished, and the seats dive-bombed Harry from all around the colosseum.

Harry ran around the pit and destroyed the benches with Reductors and Confringos, having no time to shoot any spells at his opponent. Dumbledore started to chant a very long incantation, and Harry couldn't make it out. He picked up a few words concerning water, but nothing else. The benches were still coming, and Harry was still blasting them. He needed to put Dumbledore down ASAP, and he hoped the old man was magically weak enough to be stopped by now.

"Dumbledore!" Harry shouted, destroying another flying bench. "What say we end this before someone gets hurt?"

Dumbledore stopped his chant to chuckle darkly. "You are far too gone, my boy. I am sorry, but you need to be stopped."

"Famous last words!" Harry called. He conjured several razor-sharp discs, and targeted Dumbledore's wand arm. However, Dumbledore's chant was over; the unknown spell was starting to take effect, and it started to rain. The entire colosseum was drenched in conjured, never-ending rain. Harry recognised the rain as Aqueous Libra, an old elemental spell that could combat Fiendfyre. The magical rain could be manipulated by the user into taking different forms, such as hail or even acid rain. For now, the rain was good old fashioned, harmless water.

Dumbledore stood calmly, destroying the discs Harry conjured. Harry didn't cast any spells, and laughed as the rain soaked his clothes.

"Nice one," he said. "Aqueous Libra. Tough stuff to make, Albus. You figured out the Room of Requirement didn't you?"

Dumbledore nodded. "This Room can shift to your will. Since you activated it, I assume you have total control of it."

Harry smirked. "And your conjured rain is under your control, thus I cannot stop the rain even if I shift the Room."

"Quite," said Dumbledore. "I must say, Harry, that you have become quite the duellist."

"Years of practice," Harry replied.

"Where did you get those years, though?" Dumbledore asked himself. Harry shook his head.

"Sorry, Albus, I'm not telling."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed, and his expression became sad. The magical rain suddenly became icy spears, and Harry had to shield his head from the incoming ice. As ice shattered on the ground before him, Harry never noticed Dumbledore's next spell:

"_Expelliarmus_!" he cried. Harry's wand flicked out of hand, and sailed over to the other side of the colosseum.

"Nice one," Harry said. "Is this it, Albus?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "It doesn't have to be."

Harry shook his own head, and did three things that definitely tipped the scales in his favour. First, he called on the Room to became an empty room and shrink in size. Second, he wandlessly summoned his spare wand and his disarmed wand with both hands, and caught both deftly. Using his left hand, he blocked Dumbledore's first spell and shot a Disarmer at the old man with his right hand. Dumbledore's wand sailed out of his withered hand, and landed on the ground. Before Dumbledore could summon it back, Harry had pointed both of his wands in front of him, and the Room had shrunk to the size Harry asked it to, moving both Harry and Dumbledore as it shrunk.

"This is the end, Albus," Harry whispered. The Room had shrunk to the size of a broom cupboard, and Dumbledore was standing directly in front of Harry. Both of Harry's wands were out in front of the teen, and had impaled Dumbledore's stomach. The old man wheezed as Harry pulled his right wand out of the man's stomach with a disgusting squelch noise. Harry pointed the wand at Albus' chest and looked directly in the old man's shocked eyes. "_Stupefy_."

The old man collapsed to the ground, Harry's spare wand still sticking out his stomach. The magical rain had stopped upon Dumbledore's defeat, and the Room was nice and dry. Harry shifted the Room into a classroom again, and pulled his other wand from Dumbledore's body. After Stunning the man again, Harry produced the potion vial he picked up in Snape's office.

"Draught of Living Death," he said aloud, tipping Dumbledore's head back and pouring the potion down the old man's throat. "I'm not going to kill you, Albus. Not today."

..::..--.--..::..

Harry transfigured Dumbledore and put him under the strongest binding spells to stop the man from escaping. He didn't really think that Dumbledore would have a way out being transfigured, Stunned, stabbed, magically exhausted and under Draught of Living Death. But there was always a remote chance, of course.

Snape's body was recovered by the Room and burned by Harry, who felt no remorse for the man's death a second time. Snape was up high on Harry's 'To Kill' List, right underneath Voldemort, Bella Lestrange and Dumbledore. Dumbledore's wand was pocketed, as it would still be needed.

Harry Potter left the Room of Requirement with a massive weight off of his shoulders. The only thing Harry yearned as a child was complete freedom from the Dursleys. Later, it was to be left alone from being the Boy-Who-Lived. Now, after fighting a long war, he returned to the past and was preparing to be fully free from it all by changing things up and having a semi-normal life. Yes, the prophecy still needed to be fulfilled and Voldemort needed to be killed, but there was no Dumbledore to botch things up this time.

From the seventh floor, Harry quickly took care of Dedalus Diggle in his dormitory. After Stunning, transfiguring and memory-modifying Diggle, Harry made his way back to the Hospital Wing and dispatched Hestia Jones the same way. He found the real Madam Pomfrey in her quarters, under a Sleeping Draught. After waking her up, he left a short note to Ron and Hermione (Who seemed to have grown a tail), detailing that Sirius would explain everything.

All bases covered at Hogwarts, Harry arrived at the Lovegood Getaway.

"How's Aimee?" was the first thing he said, entering the living room. Aimee was still on the couch he left her on, and Sirius and Penny were on the other chair, talking softly.

Sirius and Penny looked at him cautiously, but Penny answered, "She's fine. She'll be asleep for a few hours or so."

Harry sat back on the couch beside his girlfriend, and let out a sigh. "I'm not going to tell her yet. About me being a time traveller... I can't yet."

"I understand," Sirius said wisely. "You don't want her to be pushed away or anything like that."

"Where's Remus and Tonks?"

"Sleeping."

Harry nodded, before pulling a white chess piece from his pocket. "I got you two a present, and I need to call in a favour, Sirius."

Sirius took the king, and flipped it around his fingers. "What's this?"

"Transfigured Dumbledore," Harry replied. Sirius stumbled and dropped the chess piece. He and Penny both looked between the king and Harry a few times before Penny spoke up:

"I thought you'd killed him..."

"I didn't," Harry said wearily. "As much as I hate him, as much I as wanted to satisfy that little voice in my head that said to kill the bastard, I decided to think things through. Him being dead right now would not help things in the slightest. No, he's alive for a little while longer."

"You said you might... I just assumed you would want revenge."

"No," Harry said hollowly. "I didn't have Hermione or Ron near me today, but I could come up with a good plan that didn't involve all out killing the man yet. Snape was a happy accident, Sirius, and it would've caused a lot of problems if I killed the Headmaster."

Sirius placed the chess piece on the table. "What's the plan, Harry?"

"That's where you two, Remus and Tonks come in," Harry said, rubbing his forehead. He overdid the mental magic when he tried to gain control of the Room of Requirement, so it hurt quite a bit. Combined with the aftereffects of the Sleeping Draught he was spiked with, he would be sleeping for a few days to recover fully.

Sirius and Penny just gave him looks, and Harry elaborated.

"The four of you will be impersonating Dumbledore," Harry declared. The older people in the room reeled back a little. "Tonks has access to Polyjuice, Remus and Sirius can be the old man, and Penny, you can help handle Dumbledore's affairs, because I know Sirius wouldn't know how. I have Dumbledore's wand too."

"You... want me to pretend to be the most powerful wizard in the century? How?" Sirius asked, shocked.

"Remember _Imaginative Torture Rituals_?" Harry asked. "With Dumbledore under the Living Death, his mind is shut off to us. However, there are some torture rituals that could open the mind up for being picked apart by anyone without Dumbledore being able to do anything, and several other spells that interrogating Aurors use to gain information. Tonks and Remus should be able to find most of them."

"Me... Dumbledore?"

"Don't do any difficult magic with his wand," Harry advised. "But, yeah, you're going to have to dive into his mind and place relevant memories in a Pensieve. The four of you will look them over and get a grip on what Dumbledore's got going on, and some personal details. In order for the impersonation to work, all four of you will need to go over it and compile notes and alike. Then, Dumbledore will make an announcement saying he's retiring from all positions except Hogwarts. It will keep you guys set on one job, until we can officially kill Dumbledore."

"When will that be?"

"After I kill Voldemort."

"We saw in your memory that you took care of Kingsley, what's the plan for him?"

Harry continued to rub his pounding head. He passed out the chess pieces of Kingsley, Hestia Jones and Diggle. "Hit all three of them with a combination of curses and put them in St Mungo's. The Healers will think that their destroyed memories are part of it."

"Harry?" Sirius said worriedly, looking over his godson. "You look extremely tired."

"I am," Harry agreed. He yawned loudly, before saying, "Before I pass out for a few days, I need you to tell Aimee to stay here while I sleep. Explain that Dumbledore has been taken care of, and the impersonation plan. Do not mention the time travelling please, but go wild with everything else. Also, when you impersonate Dumbledore, you will need to talk to the imposter Moody in Dumbledore's office. Explain that I'm not fighting with the old man anymore. Be careful."

Harry took Dumbledore's wand from his robes and passed it to Sirius with a drowsy nod. Harry didn't even leave the couch he was sitting on before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

..::..--.--..::..

Harry woke up to a gentle warmth in the sunlight draped over the bed he was sleeping on. He felt calmer and more content than he had in quite a while. The calmness and warmth may have something to do with his girlfriend lying beside him, nestled into his chest. She was awake, as Harry could feel her hand caressing his arm lightly.

"Afternoon, Harry," Aimee said softly. Harry tightened the grip on his girlfriend and squeezed her a little, smiling.

"Hey. How long was I out?" he asked.

"Three days," Aimee explained. "I woke up two days ago, and I've been since, at your request. Nice place you have here."

"Sorry." Harry grinned sheepishly. "I didn't want you heading back to Hogwarts until I got to explain to you what happened during the second task."

Aimee smiled, and moved to allow him to sit up. Once he was comfortable, she started talking. "The last thing I remembered was falling asleep in my dorm. Then I woke up here, and Professor Lupin was explaining that you were here, you rescued me, and Dumbledore's been taken care of."

"Snape too," Harry said.

"Really? I hate that git."

Harry laughed softly. "I'm not proud of what I pulled on that day. But I am happy you were safe and all that. And I'm impressed with my idea of having Dumbledore impersonated."

"I thought you would've killed him or something," Aimee muttered.

"Don't think it hasn't crossed my mind," Harry told her. "It has, for all the stunts he pulled. But... he's basically taken care of for now, and there's nothing to cry over. Have Sirius or Remus been around lately?"

"Yes," Aimee replied. "They've been here every now and then, checking up on us and taking some belongings back to Hogwarts. Apparently, Sirius, Remus, Penny and Tonks are all moving into the castle for a bit."

"Really?" Harry said. "They took my idea and ran with it, good for them."

"Yeah, and Sirius killed a rooster in the kitchen to make some potion."

"You don't say."

Aimee nodded, and Harry pulled her close again.

"Some adventure I had, huh?" he said jokingly. She giggled a little, and allowed Harry to draw her into a light snogging session.

Afterwards, it was time to return to Hogwarts. Harry used Side-Along Apparation with Aimee, explaining that he was taught by Remus and that he would teach her later. The duo entered the castle around dinnertime, and decided to visit Ron and Hermione first. Harry had explained that Hermione had a tail last time he checked, and Aimee was looking forward to seeing that.

"Harry!" Ron cried. He was sitting up on a bed, looking bored. "You're back!"

Hermione dropped the book she was reading. "Evening, Harry, Aimee. Sirius said you would be awake in two more days..."

Harry smiled and took a seat in between both beds. Aimee decided to forego a seat and dropped in on Harry's lap. "Nope. My body's made of tougher stuff than that. Me and Dumbledore did a lot of magic though, but I guess I'm just young and fit."

"You fought Dumbledore," Ron whispered in awe. "You've fought Dumbledore and Flightymort, and survived! How did I get such a cool friend?"

Hermione gave Ron an odd look. "Just because you're fourteen doesn't mean you should be acting like a fanboy." Ron flushed, and decided to keep his gob shut, for fear of getting hexed.

"It was pretty fucking exhausting, now that I think about it," Harry said.

"How did you take care of him?" Hermione asked.

Harry explained how he confronted Dumbledore in the Room of Requirement, and the subsequent conversation's high points. He tried his best to describe the battle, and promised a Pensieve memory to his captive audience. Next was an explanation about using the Room to trap Dumbledore and stab the Headmaster. After some overzealous storytelling about Dumbledore being stabbed, Harry explained the use of Draught of Living Death found in Snape's office.

"Not many people can say the stabbed Dumbledore," Aimee declared.

"Yeah..." Ron said wistfully.

"How's Sirius going?" Harry asked, expecting Sirius as Headmaster to be none too good for the castle. He hadn't seen any destroyed hallways or wild creatures running around, so things couldn't be too bad.

"Perfectly normal, according to Ginny," said Hermione. "But Dumbledore has a nurse with him at all times now apparently. His Healer is named Mary Christian and she has apparently been helping him out over the last few days."

"Cool. I'm going to go see him now. Aimee, do want to come have dinner now?"

"Sure thing, I'm getting kind of hungry. But afterwards, I have to send a letter to my folks and explain some things."

"We'll go over that later. Hermione, can we see your tail?"

Hermione glared at him. "It's gone, Harry. Hestia Jones' shoddy potions work ensured the tail wouldn't be on me for more than a day. And if I had my wand, I'd hex you."

Ron laughed, until Hermione directed her glare at him. He paled, and looked to Harry for support. However, Harry and Aimee were already halfway out of the room.

"It's dinnertime kids, gotta go. Ron, Hermione, I'll see you later." With that, Harry and Aimee left the Hospital Wing and headed to the Great Hall. Sure enough, Dumbledore was sitting in his chair up on the Head Table, beside a young, blonde woman wearing Healer robes. Both 'Dumbledore' and 'Mary Christian' looked up as Harry and Aimee entered, and smiled.

Harry gave a slight nod, and led Aimee to the Gryffindor table. They ate a light dinner, and Harry told the other inquisitive students that he had been out of school for the last three days, with 'family obligations'. Aimee helpfully supplied some stories about Harry's family being involved in drugs and Hepatitis outbreaks, and by the end of dinner, Harry was explaining that his relatives had not passed anything on to him, and he did not have 'Muggle Fever'.

After dinner and parting ways with Aimee, Harry spotted Moody limping in his direction.

"Potter," he said as greeting. "Nice to see you back. The Headmaster told me that he let you leave for three days... that was nice of him wasn't it? I don't know what you said to him, but he backed off."

"Yep," Harry said. "We had a huge talk, hashed out our differences, and now he's off my back. There was a little friendly stabbing involved, but nothing serious. But, I'm still going back to the Dursleys this summer, which I can live with in exchange for no more Love Potion meals." Actually, Harry was definitely not returning to Number 4 Privet Drive this summer. He planned on staying at the Getaway.

"Anyway, Dumbledore wants to see you in his office now. The password is 'Coca Cola'," Moody growled. Harry nodded and headed up to the old man's office.

..::..--.--..::..

"Hello, Harry. Would you like a can of Coca Cola?"

Harry didn't stop laughing for a good thirty seconds. Sirius was sitting behind the desk in Dumbledore's office, posing as the old man with a smug grin on his face. On Sirius' desk, instead of a bowl of lemon drops, there was a pyramid of Coke cans. Harry took one and opened it up, giggling (Like a man).

"No thanks, _Professor_," Harry replied, putting extra emphasis on the last word. Sirius smiled wickedly.

"It's a good cover," he said, pulling out a can of Coke that was in his desk draw. "The ones in my desk are loaded with Polyjuice." He took a sip, and grimaced slightly. "I tried adding some of the drink into the Polyjuice, but it didn't do anything."

"Brilliant. How's life as Dumbledore?"

"Hard. Remus got all of Dumbledore's memories, and it took us two straight days to come up with the idea that Dumbledore is having health problems. Until then, I've been sitting at the Head Table with my 'nurse', who's feeding me notes under the table."

Harry shook his head. "The things you go through. Where is that hot nurse of yours?"

Sirius let out a very un-Dumbledoreish barking laugh. "She's in my quarters with Remus and Tonks. They're going over my resignation notes. I'm just here to fit the picture."

Harry looked around the office, and noticed one particular bird missing.

"Where's Fawkes?" he asked.

"Left as soon I as I took over here," Sirius said, looking at the empty perch. "I don't mind. Anyway, I've got plans to replace Snape as well."

"How did you spin that?"

Sirius grinned. "Officially, Snape moved to Canada to retire, and Remus Lupin will be his replacement. Thank you for cleaning up some of the blood outside of Snape's office, that made things easier. Remus will also be moving into the castle with his girlfriend Tonks. That'll keep them around for the time being."

Sirius went on to explain what else the quartet had been up to. After going over Dumbledore's mind, Remus and Penny went over what was on Sirius' new agenda, while Tonks procured copious amounts of Polyjuice Potion. Penny invented the Mary Christian persona, and Remus dropped a hint about becoming the Potions Professor. Sirius went to his first staff meeting, and was apparently bored shitless.

"It was all talk, talk, talk, talk, gossip, and more talk!" he complained. "And I had to do most of it! You would not believe what kind of mistakes I made! I referred to Snape as a greasy git more than once, and told McGonagall to stay out of the catnip... god... it's pretty mortifying trying to impersonate Dumbledore."

"Good on you for attempting it."

Sirius smiled. "It's the Marauder thing to do, Harry. The impossible, the hilarious, the stupid and the illegal. That's us!"

Harry entered Dumbledore's quarters next, and found the old man in his transfigured state, sitting on the bedside table. Remus, Tonks and Penny were sitting around a Pensieve, going over some memory.

"Hey Sirius," said Harry, looking at the bed in Dumbledore's quarters. "You slept in Dumbledore's bed?"

Sirius smiled, and Harry spotted a twinkle in his eyes that was very Dumbledore-like. "Oh, I did more than just sleep Harry. How many people can say they had sex in Dumbledore's bed?"

Harry snorted. "Sirius, you have no class."

..::..--.--..::..

Two weeks later, the _Daily Prophet _announced Dumbledore's shocking retirement from the Wizengamot and all other Ministerial positions. The article featured quotes from Dumbledore, but some of the lines were pure Sirius:

_'I've been feeling a little under the weather lately, and I have an old friend, Miss Mary Christian, there for my health. Health is a funny thing you see, because as an older wizard, I can suffer from anything, such as mild headaches to massively compacted bowels.'_

_'Yes, I've appointed Remus Lupin as Snape's replacement. I'm assured that he'll do an excellent job, as long as he doesn't torture little children like Severus was accused of doing.'_

_'The Triwizard Tournament is a farce and a chance for smelly Europeans to snipe at each other. But don't quote me on that, if you'd please.'_

With that taken care of, there was still four months until Harry's next big problem.

Harry was nearing the third task, and he spent his days in class, and his nights training with Ron and Hermione. All three of them were devising a solid plan to take care of the Death Eaters at the graveyard, using the Room of Requirement as a simulation room.

Sirius, Remus, Tonks and Penny were proving that four minds were better than one, and their impersonation of Dumbledore was in full swing. Remus had taken over as Potions Professor, and moved the classroom up to the second floor, to the student population's immense satisfaction. He wasn't the greatest brewer, but he knew how to teach the class how to, and the students all liked him compared to Snape.

Harry had heard through Sirius that Kingsley Shacklebolt, Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones were now in St Mungo's, recovering from a combination of curses turning them into purple masses, and some mind healing. Their memories would never recover, but not for a lack of trying.

At Penny's request, Harry, Ron and Hermione showed Sirius, Remus, Tonks and Penny the final battlefield of Voldemort, both in memory and in person. No, Voldemort's Horcrux hadn't returned to the past yet, but the Trio were expecting it any day now.

On the Voldemort front, not a word had been heard. Amelia Bones supplied Sirius (As Dumbledore) with the sightings of the escaped Death Eaters, who were roaming out and about on errands for their master. Amelia could not ascertain where they were hiding out, so the Trio didn't plan on any repeats of the Crouch household massacre.

On the relationship front, Harry was a few months away from revealing all to his girlfriend, who continued to be a valued companion and snogging partner to Harry. The two didn't fight much, preferring to solve their problems by betting money or drinking a little. Harry wasn't eating Love Potion-laced food, and stopped talking to Ginny deliberately. The youngest Weasley was under the impression that Harry liked her, and thus dumped her boyfriend and started to drop subtle hints. Good on her for trying, but Harry wasn't interested.

In between pretending to be the Headmaster, Sirius visited Gringotts and tried to claim the Lestrange vault, citing various pureblood laws and repetitive use of the words: "She's a convict!". The goblins steadfastly refused because Rodolphus and Bella were still alive and kicking. Hence, both Lestranges would need to kick it for Sirius to claim Voldemort's second-last Horcrux through normal means.

All in all, it was a pretty uneventful couple of months. It wasn't until late May when something slightly interesting happened. Harry, Ron and Hermione were wandering the halls of Hogwarts, heading up from the library to Dumbledore's office.

"I'm just saying," Harry was just saying. "That the Harpies aren't going to win this time. They already beat the Wasps, but that was just luck Ron!"

"They will win," Ron argued. "I've bet a lot of money on them winning the Cup, and I don't want to lose it all! The Harpies will beat United this week. Definitely."

"You put money on these games?" Hermione asked, scandalised.

Ron nodded, "My Irish friend likes me, and he'll pay up this time. I think he got the message after my last visit."

Harry shook his head. "We need a new cash cow, because our mutual Irish friend has already tried to screw us over twice! If he does it the third time..."

"No more Mr Irish Friend," Ron said solemnly.

The Trio rounded the final corner to the Gryffindor Tower, when they spotted Remus standing outside the Fat Lady portrait, looking worried.

"There you three are!" he said, rushing over to them

"What happened Remus?" Harry asked, as his friends pulled their wands out and started to look around for possible Death Eaters.

"It's Sirius," Remus said hollowly. "He overdosed on Polyjuice or something, but he's at St Mungo's."

"Dammit," Harry whispered. Ron and Hermione sheathed their wands, and joined Harry is looking concerned. "I didn't know you could overdose on Polyjuice!"

Remus shook his head sadly. "It must've done something with the other potions he was taking. Voice impersonation, nutritional potions, mind-sharpeners..."

Harry nodded. "Let's go see him then."

"I've got the Portkey with me," Remus declared. "Come on."

The Trio followed Remus to the Headmaster's Office, said the password to the gargoyle ('Prongs'), and entered the office.

"Here," Remus said, handing Harry a cricket ball. "There are no outgoing Portkey wards here." Harry nodded, and offered the ball to his friends.

Ron placed a finger on Portkey, but Hermione looked dubious. "You can't overdose on Polyjuice," she said.

"Remus guessed that too," Ron told her.

"Must've been something else," Harry said.

Hermione shook her head. "No, this is wrong. Something's up."

Before Harry or Ron could ask what she thought was wrong, the Portkey activated, and the three of them were vaulted away to a very familiar room in the Department of Mysteries.

"Brilliant," muttered Harry. The Trio were in the Death Chamber, standing right in front of the infamous Veil of Death, the object that claimed the life of Sirius Black in the old timeline. They weren't alone - five cloaked Unspeakables were standing before them in a line. Their dark cloaks obscured their faces, and the Trio could not discern any difference between them, except one Unspeakable being a little shorter than the others.

"Do you three have any idea what you've done?" asked the middle Unspeakable. "Do you have any idea what could've happen?"

"We've got a slight idea, yes," Harry said lightly. "But what could we have possibly done to grab your attention?"

"Travelling back in time is possible," continued the middle Unspeakable, "but the ones who do it pay a terrible price. Rituals to sacrifice people, rituals to remove their magic, all kinds of problems. What stumped us... is what you three lost?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione shared quick glances.

"How long have you known?" Harry asked.

"Since you returned," said the far left Unspeakable. All their voices were distorted, neither male nor female, but just a deep, almost mechanical sounding voice. It was totally freaky.

Hermione cursed softly. "They monitor the Time Turners..."

All five Unspeakables nodded. "We do in fact, Miss Granger," said the far right Unspeakable. "But we detected a very foreign soul exiting in your body. Mr Potter's too."

"And you pieced it together rather easily," concluded Hermione.

The Unspeakables nodded again. The middle one spoke up again, "Remus Lupin is in his quarters with Nymphadora Tonks. Our agent who was impersonating him is coming here now. Sirius Black is fine also, he's in Dumbledore's quarters, having sex with Penelope Clearwater."

The Trio half-winced. "Too much information," Ron said.

"What now?" Harry asked. "You asked what our price was for coming back and there doesn't seem to be one."

"But there should be!" shouted the far right Unspeakable. His/her voice echoed eerily through the Chamber.

Hermione put on her 'thinking mode' look again. "Time Turners make the person irritable and they lose sleep. Overuse of one could lead to a painful death. One of the rituals I read involved heavy Dark Arts, another one required a portion of one's soul, another required to give up their magic, and one involved losing memories. All time rituals involve some kind of sacrifice."

"We killed ourselves didn't we?" Harry said, remembering the ritual clearly. "You know, I killed Ron, but the ritual took care of me and Hermione."

"It makes no sense!" said the second from the right Unspeakable. The other four nodded in agreement.

"No, killing ourselves is just part of the ritual," Hermione said. "I've got nothing... what did we lose?"

"Moral compass?" Ron joked.

"Our money and ruggedly handsome older good looks?" Harry added.

"Your brains?" One of the Unspeakables said snidely.

Harry and Ron shot that cloaked figure an annoyed look.

Hermione muttered to herself one word: "Prophecies."

"What?" Seven voices asked her.

"Prophecies," she repeated. "When we came back in time, we became tied to a prophecy. Our sacrifice is a lost freedom, and being tied to a prophecy. Once it's completed, our sacrifice is over."

"I hate prophecies," Harry muttered.

"Logical!" declared the far left Unspeakable.

"Well thought out!" declared the next one along.

"Interesting!" shouted the middle one.

"The ranting of a 15-year-old harlot!" blurted the second from right.

"Probable!" finished the far right Unspeakable.

"Did that guy just call Hermione a slut?" Ron asked Harry.

"Not sorry!" said the Hermione-hating Unspeakable.

"We must check the Hall of Prophecy!" said the middle Unspeakable.

"Take them to the Hall of Prophecy!" ordered the far left one.

"To the Hall of Prophecy!" the other three cried, approaching Harry, Ron and Hermione. Before wands could be pulled out, the three cloaked figures had seized the Trio's shoulders and gripped tight.

None too lightly, the three Unspeakables led the Trio out of the Death Chamber and into an unfamiliar room. They were in a long hall with golden walls and tiled floors, and was lined with golden framed portraits with pictures of planets and solar systems. The two Unspeakables not guiding the Trio were already at the other end of the hall, talking in low tones.

As the Unspeakables lead the Trio past the portraits, Hermione gestured to Harry with a small hand signal they devised in the war. Her pinky and middle fingers created a bent circle, and Harry understood. He gestured to Ron the same signal, and the redheaded teen nodded.

"Hey, Unspeakable," Harry said loudly. He was still clutching the cricket ball in his hand. "You should of taken our weapons!" With that, he swung around, and smashed the cricket ball into the Unspeakable's neck. The Unspeakable stumbled, and Harry dove the man/woman to the floor and kicked his/her wand out of his/her hand.

Hermione stepped on her Unspeakable's foot, then kicked him/her in the crotch area. It was super effective, and the obviously male Unspeakable went down, holding his privates and groaning. Ron, meanwhile, simply flipped over his short-looking Unspeakable and held a knee to his/her throat until the cloaked figure stopped thrashing.

"Stunners!" Harry shouted, produced his wand from the wrist holster. Ron and Hermione followed his lead, and stunned the three Unspeakables with a simultaneous: "_Stupefy!_"

By now, the other two Unspeakables had returned, wands raised. One of them flung a mysterious purple hex, which broke Hermione's shield and hit her in the ankle. She fell to the ground, unconscious, with a soft 'oh'.

"Fuck it! _Rumpus Bonea_!" Harry shouted. The Bone-Breaking Hex missed his enemy because they were smart enough to dodge. Fearing that Harry would unleash progressively Darker curses, they started to up their own spells. Harry and Ron both noticed the Unspeakables had taken the brunt of some of their spells, but the cloaked figures were still standing.

Ron went over to Hermione and checked her pulse. "She's alive, just sleeping!" he announced. Harry nodded, and returned to trading hexes with the Unspeakables.

A strong Stunner took down one of them, courtesy of Ron. The last one, seeing that he was up against two-thirds of the Golden Trio, seemingly disappeared. Harry used a magical sight spell, and didn't spot the last Unspeakable in the current room. Harry dashed to where the Unspeakable was moments ago, and noticed that some of the tiles on the floor had disappeared, and a large chute had appeared. Ron lowered his wand and checked out a small cut on his neck.

"He's gone, let's go," Harry said, levitating Hermione with a flick of the wand.

From the room they were currently located in, a few Point Me spells led the Trio back into the familiar circular room with revolving doors. Harry and Ron encountered no more resistance in their escape from the Department of Mysteries. Indeed, the place seemed almost too quiet. But, the adventuring, time-travelling, meddling Golden Trio found a fireplace in the Atrium and Flooed back to the Headmaster's Office.

Meanwhile, Unspeakable Croaker had taken the chute from the Universal Portrait Hall back to his office. From there, he checked for injuries before taking the quickest route to the Prophecy Hall. He quickly found the lead prophecy archivist, Broderick Bode.

"Bode," he said curtly, approaching the cloaked figure.

"Croaker?" Bode said questioningly. His boss Croaker never came for just a chat, being the sort of boss to stay behind the scenes and order his subordinates through memos. Bode also noticed that Croaker looked a little ruffled, and had several burn marks on his robes.

"I need you to find me a prophecy concerning some individuals," Croaker ordered. Bode nodded, and pulled out a small rectangular block of pure silver framed by old runes, and with a shimmering, liquid surface.

"Name it," Bode said, tapping his wand to the silver device.

"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger," Croaker said. The three were back at Hogwarts by now, having taken down several Unspeakables to escape. Croaker let them go, deciding to test Hermione's theory before attempting anything else.

The silver device lit up once. "I've got one on Harry Potter," Bode said, indicating the runes on the block. "But that's the Dark Lord one told to Dumbledore in the 80's."

Croaker nodded, knowing of the first prophecy told by Sybil Trelawney. "Try any prophecies recorded in June, 1994."

Bode activated the silver slate block again, and it flashed four times. "I've got four, two by Sybil Trelawney."

"Go."

"Row 92, shelf 3, and row 93, shelf 5."

Croaker nodded, and gestured to Bode. "Show me."

Bode lead his superior past the many other shelves of prophecies, sorted by alphabetical order and when the prophecy was made. The fulfilled ones had little red tags tied to the orbs. The ones that never got fulfilled due to death or other circumstances had black tags.

The duo found row 92, and Bode led Croaker to an orb labelled:

_S.P.T. to H.J.P._

_Dark Lord and Dark Lord's Servant (?)_

"Play it," Croaker said. Bode pointed his wand to the orb, and a transparent Sybil Trelawney and Harry Potter appeared. Trelawney was talking in a low, harsh voice, and Harry was listening curiously.

"_It will happen tonight. The Dark Lord is alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight, the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever before. Tonight... before midnight... the servant... will set out... to rejoin... his master..."_

The recording ended.

"Interesting," Croaker said. "But it's not the one I'm looking for. No, show me the other one, if you'd please."

Bode led Croaker down another row, and pointed to an orb on the tallest shelf. Croaker gave him a look, and Bode levitated the prophecy down to their level.

It was labelled:

_S.P.T. to N/A_

_The Golden Trio (?) and the Dark Lord's Eighth Horcrux (?)_

"Play it."

Sybil Trelawney came out of the orb again, this time alone and seemingly talking to herself.

"_The Golden Trio have arrived... the Knowledge, the Strategy and the Power. Lost all and gained all again. Fought and died to come back and fight again. Three souls claim their younger bodies... the Golden Trio... destined to destroy the Dark Lord's impossible Horcrux... the eighth... the final. The Golden Trio... will return... and the battle will in end in Serenity..."_

"So that's why they came back," Croaker muttered aloud.

"Sir?"

"The Golden Trio are Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They fought in a war in the future, and lost all but themselves. They came back and gained it again, but they would have to fight once more. They're destined to destroy the last Horcrux..."

"What does 'Serenity' mean?"

"I have no idea."

"Plan?"

"Plan... leave them alone. I'll go talk to my subordinates on this project. Goodnight, Bode."

..::..--.--..::..

Hermione woke up a day later, having been hit with a customised Sleeping Spell that kept the mind conscious for interrogation purposes. Upon waking, she felt the need to explain to Harry and Ron.

"I was guessing about the prophecy thing," she said. "I think that we did sacrifice something, but it wasn't our destinies."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Fifty-fifty. I think we'll lose something though. I don't know what, but we might become Squibs by October 31st, 2005."

"That's reassuring," Ron retorted.

"As long as Voldemort's dead, I don't care," Harry said quietly. "I can become a Muggle detective, it would be fun without magic."

Ron looked at his friend like he was insane, before turning to Hermione. "Thanks for thinking of a plan to get us out of there. From now on, we'll ask Remus to answer a certain question before taking his Portkey."

She smiled wickedly at Ron. "Meet me in the Room of Requirement in fifteen minutes," she said, before heading up to her dorm. Ron smiled dreamily, and Harry just shook his head and wandered off to find Aimee.

..::..--.--..::..

To be concluded in Chapter 6...

..::..--.--..::..


	6. Chapter 6 :: Fulfilling Three Prophecies

Disclaimer :: All things Harry Potter are owned by JK Rowling, and it would be quite an insult to her if I were to claim them as my own wouldn't it? Here we go!

To End in Serenity

Written by MattSilver

..::..--.--..::..

Rated because of coarse language, teenage drinking, violence, references to sex, sarcastic humour and slight out of character situations and personalities. You have been warned.

General Notes :: Harry, Ron and Hermione are referred to as the Golden Trio, or just the Trio. Note the capital 'T' when I refer to them. Get used to seeing that.

- Several lines and phrases from the actual books are used occasionally, mostly from the third, fourth and fifth books.

- The backstory of the war is based around some events of HBP and DH, but only basic plot things like Horcruxes and Dumbledore's death are mentioned.

**This chapter is a monster, and is the last in this little story. However, I bring good news in the author's notes at the bottom of the page!**

..::..--.--..::..

Chapter 6 of 6 :: Fulfilling Three Prophecies

..::..--.--..::..

A week before the Third Task, Harry, Ron and Hermione were scoping out Malfoy Manor, a heavily warded mansion that was the current hiding place for Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, Alecto Carrow and Augustus Rookwood.

The Malfoys had hidden out in France ever since Fudge's death, but returned in March quietly, living in their home back in England. The real reason they returned was unknown, but the Trio had a suspicion that the Death Eaters returned for the Easter holidays to be with their son, who was unaware that his father and mother would not be getting out of trouble this time. Short of rumours, the Ministry had no evidence to go get the Malfoys.

Rumours that proved to be true a month later. While Amelia Bones was creating warrants for the Malfoy arrests during June, the Trio had found their missing Death Eaters.

It had taken three months of following leads and skipping classes, but the Golden Trio found the Azkaban escapees thanks to Draco Malfoy, who returned from Easter holiday boasting about his new Death Eater friends. And thus, the real reason Lucius and Narcissa returned to the country came forth, all thanks to Draco's big mouth.

Moron.

A quick bit of passive Legilimency told them that Draco had met the four Death Eaters, and learnt some new spells from Rookwood and Bellatrix. Lucius and Narcissa were housing four Death Eaters, and the Trio wanted to take care of them personally, instead of let the Aurors handle it. It was a subtle revenge thing, and a challenge. And Harry never backs down from a challenge, so why not break into Malfoy Manor and challenge six Death Eaters?

The first step was to plant Listening Charms on the Malfoys. Hermione, under Polyjuice, attended one of the Pureblood Book-Reading Clubs, and managed to plant the charms on Narcissa's self and the book she brought.

The real challenge of that task was for Hermione to sit through the meeting and listen to old crones go on about a romance novel. Apparently Narcissa still attended her social clubs, despite her pending arrests. The other crones at the meeting believed Narcissa was still hiding out in France.

Harry and Ron posed as workers at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley, and happily sold the disguised Lucius several dark artefacts, laced with all kinds of charms that the former Death Eater would never detect. The charms being used were invented three years in the future, so there was a good chance of them not being detected.

With the charms planted, the Trio listened to a very helpful conversation the day before they decided to attack.

"How is the Dark Lord, Bella?" Narcissa asked, taking a sip from some tea.

Bella the insane henchwitch laughed. "He is growing in power everyday Cissy! It is beautiful, to see my Mark flare up again!"

"And the potion? Is Pettigrew botching things up?" Lucius said silkily.

Bella snarled. "Wormtail, the cowardly rat. Almost gets captured by Aurors four times, and snivels at Master's home, brewing that potion. Never mind that we didn't hide after our Lord's brief downfall, the rat is the Lord's favourite."

"Jealous, Bella?" questioned Rookwood, a hint of amusement present in his deep voice.

Bella snarled again. "Shut it Augustus! Our Lord is still unhappy about the trio of wizards that killed four of loyal servants."

"Including my brother," grunted Rodolphus.

"Mine too," said Alecto in a low tone.

There was silence for a moment, then the sound of somebody Apparating in.

"Master?" came a timid voice. It was a House Elf, quite possibly Dobby's replacement.

"Blinky," Malfoy said in a bored voice.

"Master, you received a letter sir. Here it is sir." The elf said, handing the letter over to his master.

"Go Blinky," Malfoy ordered, opening the envelope.

"Not just yet, elf. It seems you forgot to clean the tea tray here," Bella cackled. "_Crucio_!"

The elf started to scream in a horrible screeching tone that made Hermione turn the charm off for a second. She exchanged a sickened look with Harry and Ron, who didn't look to pleased either. A minute passed, and Hermione turned the charm on again cautiously.

"-meeting with a filth like Greyback," Malfoy was saying, sounding disgusted.

"Why would our Lord need that beast?" Alecto asked.

"Support," Malfoy said simply. "The letter says that Pettigrew asked Greyback and his people to come here tomorrow. I am supposed to give over 10000 Galleons as a good will gesture, and our Lord will have the beast's support."

"Preposterous!" Bella cried. "Our Lord does not need filthy beasts like Greyback! He doesn't!"

"He doesn't, that's true," Malfoy said soothingly. "Greyback is a very shiny tool that is easily replaced with real wizards and witches, not filthy half-breeds or Mudbloods. Bella, our Lord wants Greyback tricked. We give the money, but we pull what we did with the French HitWizard squad in 1978. Use them, then make the money disappear."

"Good times," Rookwood said. "Those Frenchmen didn't know what him them." He laughed gruffly. "And the money was back in our vaults by supper."

"About the same time those morons were arrested?" Alecto added. Rookwood probably nodded, because nothing else came out of the Death Eater's mouth.

"Narcissa, can you please go to Gringotts and withdraw 100 Galleons?" Malfoy asked. His wife Apparated away with a small pop.

"What will be the ward situation tomorrow?" Rookwood queried. He was the ward master after all. Harry and Hermione shared a look and hoped that they would get a basic idea of the ward situation.

"Your wards will be taken down from 12-2pm," Malfoy replied. "I'll have Blinky wait in the study with the wardstones. She'll activate your wards if things get a little... unpleasant. If those beasts try anything, your wards will be up and the beasts will die."

The Trio ended the Listening Charm after it seemed the conversation was over. Harry smiled at his friends.

"Plan?"

And so, a day later, ten minutes before 12 o'clock, Hermione had erected a ward spiral up on a hill overlooking the lavish Malfoy Manor.

She whistled low. "Complicated stuff," she said. The spiral was three times the size of Crouch's home, and several outer lines overlapped with the inner lines, creating an odd sort of spider-web shape.

"Rookwood's wards are there," Harry said, pointing to the outermost wards. Two grey blobs were holding together four lines each, each ward had the Dark Mark detector and alarms on them. "And there." Harry pointed to the innermost circle. There were three wards inside the manor, centred around the dining room. Those wards were booby traps for the werewolves if they tried anything. Anti-Apparation, Anti-Portkey, and a Flesh-Shredding Curse. Nasty stuff.

"So if Blinky turns on the internal wards Rookwood set up," Ron started, "All those without a Dark Mark get hit with Shredders?"

"Seems like it," Hermione said. "And Rookwood will be taking down his outermost and the Shredding wards when the werewolves arrive. For two hours, the Death Eaters will have to rely on the wards tied to the house itself, and these ones." She pointed her wand at several lines making the spider-web shape.

"House Elf wards."

"Exactly. They can't be taken down by using a power transfer and anchor stones, so we need a good idea to take down the elf."

"He's in the study right?" Harry asked. The other two nodded. "Look, there's no Portkey wards inside. Incoming Portkeys can get inside if Rookwood's wards are down."

"And you want us to make a blind Portkey?" A blind Portkey worked by only coordinates, not an image of where to go and the proper coordinates. To make a normal Portkey, both the coordinates and the image of the destination were needed.

Harry nodded, and Hermione shook her head. "It's Bulstrode Abode all over again."

"This time we won't lose consciousness," Harry assured. The last time the Trio made a blind Portkey, they vomited their stomachs out and fainted a minute later from a mixture of hot flushes and magical exhaustion. They woke up surrounded by Death Eaters, and a daring escape followed with Ron losing his wand and Marco Bulstrode's death. It was a fun memory for all.

"I've got it," Ron said, his strategy mind kicking in. "We make the blind Portkey, but just two of us go in. We take out the elf, kicking down the outgoing Portkey wards. One of us returns here, and the third takes the image from the person's head with Legilimency. The third person will make a Portkey with the proper image, and no fainting will occur. A few Pepper-Ups later, and we're inside and ready to kick some."

"How long will the Pepper-Up last us?"

"An hour max. It's not much, but its better than nothing."

"Brilliant," breathed Hermione, sending a proud look in Ron's direction. "But what about the Flesh-Shredding wards? If they're activated at all, we're dead meat."

"The cloaks," Harry said. "The scarlet ones. We'll be wearing them anyway, and we cover all our flesh. No shredding need to occur."

Ron grinned. "Plan done. I'll go and get the cloaks and some Pepper-Up." He Apparated away.

Harry checked his watch: It was 12 o'clock. The ward spiral started to shift and flash, and three sets of wards became inert - the two outermost layers, and the three inner ones in the dining room.

Five minutes later, Ron returned, and the three suited up. No skin was showing, and several charms prevented the curses from travelling up the hoods and shredding the flesh of their faces.

Twenty more minutes passed before Greyback and his entourage showed up, Apparating at the mansion's front gates. There were 12 werewolves, and they were showed inside by another House Elf.

"Show time," Harry muttered. Hermione, having created the blind Portkey out of a silver Sickle, handed it to Harry and Ron.

"Take care of the elf quickly," Hermione ordered. She then handed the return Portkey (That had a proper image and coordinates) to Harry and gestured them to go.

Harry and Ron activated the Portkey, and they were vaulted into the large study at Malfoy Manor. Upon landing, both teens fell to their knees and started to retch. The contents of their stomachs decorated the study floor, and the dizziness and weak feeling associated with magical exhaustion kicked in.

Harry recovered first, and he pointed his wand at the scared Blinky, who was hiding behind a large mahogany desk. Taking aim in a disoriented state was rather difficult, but Harry managed to aim at the elf's general chest area.

"_Stupefy_!" Harry muttered.

The elf went down, and a dizzying Harry rushed to activate the return Portkey. As the Portkey started to activate, Ron fainted, and another person entered the study. The person took one look at the fainted elf and mysterious figure wearing a scarlet cloak before pulling his wand and trying to revive the figure.

"Harry!" Hermione cried, as Harry landed before her. "Open up!"

Harry's mouth was forced open, and a Pepper-Up Potion burned down his throat. Steam poured out of his ears, and he started to regain his senses. A slight tingling feeling spread from his stomach and all around his body, as the magic started to return to him. As soon as he could see Hermione clearly, he started coughing heavily.

"We gotta go, take the image," he wheezed. Hermione peered into his mind and took the image of the study. What seemed like a minute later, she had created the Portkey.

"Take it!" she said, and Harry grabbed hold. The two were taken to the study again, this time not vomiting upon re-entry. Ron was there too, but he wasn't alone.

"Who are you?" demanded Rookwood, wand pointed at Ron's form. Ron was stirring fitfully, and Harry and Hermione hesitated, wands pointing to the floor. "Are you with Greyback?"

"Yes," Harry said deeply, disguising his voice. "We're part of his pack. We were ordered to come and steal from the study."

Rookwood eyed them. He couldn't see their faces thanks to the cloaks, and he gingerly reached over to pull Harry's cloak off. Upon contact with the material, the Death Eater's hand flew backwards, smelling a lot like burnt flesh.

"What did you do?" he roared, nursing his hand.

Harry smiled underneath his hood, and raised his wand. "Nothing much. The cloak did it, not me."

Rookwood swished his wand. "_Expelliarmus_!"

Hermione's wand flew out of her hand, but Harry had dropped his wand to the ground, to avoid being disarmed. Rookwood caught Hermione's wand, but was shocked not to get Harry's.

"What-" he started, but Harry had already picked his wand up, and shot off a quick spell:

"_Sectumsempra_!"

Rookwood's surprised face caught the curse at full power. Rookwood flew backwards and smashed into a nearby wall, dropping his and Hermione's wands. The Death Eater's face started to split in half as the body slid down the wall and collapsed to the ground, leaving a bloody trail behind. Hermione let out a small "Gross." at the squelch sound that accompanied the Death Eater's bloody death.

"Hermione, I'll get Ron," Harry said, heading over to his friend. "Take control of his wards."

Hermione nodded and produced several anchor stones from her pocket. She went over to Rookwood's bloody mess of a body, and took the rune stones that were in the man's pocket. She retrieved her wand and performed a few spells, identifying which stone was which ward origin point. After picking out the two inner wards, she began the power transfer process.

"Ron, wake up!" Harry shouted, after shoving a Pepper-Up down the redhead's throat.

Ron stirred and opened his eyes. "Wha?"

Harry grinned. "Umm... the Cannons won the League! Wake up, you gotta come to the party!"

"WHAT?" Ron yelled, bolting upright. When Harry started laughing, he knew he had been deceived somehow. "We're in Malfoy Manor aren't we?"

"Yep," Harry said happily, as if discussing the weather. "Rookwood's dead, got him with the old drop-wand technique. I swear, that one has ended the lives of so many."

"Only works with you though," Ron grunted. "Because you have lightning fast speed at picking up your wand and flinging the next curse. Remember when I tried it back at Bulstrode Abode? I broke my arm and my wand!"

"Thank you Dudley for the reflexes."

"That's so unfair! I play Quidditch all my life, and you get better reflexes from running from your fat cousin!"

"Don't whine! Im-"

"If you two are done..." Hermione said, standing at the study's doorway. "I've just activated Rookwood's Flesh-Shredding Ward."

"The werewolves are dying right now?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. "The wards are activated, so I think a skirmish is about to break out. Ready to go?"

Harry waved a hand at the unconscious house-elf in the room. "What about him?"

Hermione looked at the elf. "He's out cold. Also, I think Malfoy's order bound him to the room unless called. Even if he wakes, he's not going anywhere until Lucius says something."

Harry and Ron nodded, collected themselves, and followed Hermione out the door, and into a long hallway lined with portraits of regal-looking Malfoy men.

"Ponces," Harry muttered, checking out the portrait of Abraxas Malfoy.

Sounds of a duel were head from the furthest end of the hallway, so the Trio headed down that way quickly and quietly. As they approached the corner, a body came flying and skidded in front of them.

"Werewolf," Harry said, checking it over. The man's flesh was criss-crossed, a sure sign of a Flesh-Shredding Curse, and his one eye was open in shock. So, a Flesh-Shredder followed by Avada Kedavra.

The Trio peered around the corner, and narrowly dodged some orange spellfire. Alecto Carrow was engaged in some kind of duelling dance with two burly werewolves, who couldn't seem to aim properly at her figure. Considering the female Death Eater was quite heavyset, the werewolves must've been horrible at aiming.

Harry turned to the portraits lining the walls, and smirked. He gestured to Hermione, and the two magically ripped several Malfoy portraits from the walls. Ron, who was still looking around the corner, jerked his head back to avoid a spell and gave the two a thumbs up.

Harry and Hermione directed their four portraits to arrange into a makeshift shield, with a height of six feet or so. With their shield in place, both felt confident in turning the corner and confronting the three evil duellers.

Alecto dispatched one of the werewolves with a Killing Curse, and had her back to the portraits moving on their own accord behind her. Her werewolf opponent saw them however. He widened his eyes, and scurried off around another corner.

"Coward!" Alecto shouted, firing several spells off. She could of sworn she heard footsteps behind her, but it was probably nothing.

"Hey, Alecto!"

Alecto turned around, and saw two portraits with old Malfoys in their canvases flying towards her. She shot two Killing Curses at the portraits, destroying them instantly. There were two more portraits, and they were blocking the upper bodies of two familiar cloaked figures.

"YOU!" Alecto screeched, recognising the scarlet cloaks. The two figures did nothing but hold the portraits up as shields, and Alecto yelled: "_Avada Kedavra_!"

The Killing Curse hit one of the portraits, making it combust into green flame. The last portrait was quickly transfigured by the cloaked figures into having a sharp frame, and enchanted to attack Alecto.

Alecto fired several curses off, but the spiked portrait was enchanted to dodge them, unlike the other three. As the portrait neared her, Alecto fell to the ground on her stomach, letting the portrait imbed in the wall behind her.

Harry, Ron and Hermione wandered over to the Death Eater, who was cowering on the ground. She raised her head and wand arm, but found herself disarmed and looking at the feet of three cloaked figures.

"Alecto," they said in unison. Alecto snarled, and was about to retort, but the Trio were faster. Harry and Ron conjured large metal spikes, and dropped them into Alecto's spine, lower back, and gluteus maximus. She bled out a minute later, pinned to the ground by the three spikes. But the Trio were on the move, and simultaneously dispatched Alecto's werewolf opponent from earlier, who was hiding behind a statue just beyond where Alecto's body lay.

The Trio made their way through large oak doors and into a large ballroom. The probably spectacular ballroom didn't look as spectacular with the body of a werewolf lying in a puddle of his own blood in the middle of the polished floor. He seemed to be victim of one of the Flesh-Shredding Curses.

Beyond the ballroom was the dining room, and the Trio opened another pair of doors into a very chaotic room. What was a large room with a huge table lined with golden goblets and plates became a battlefield between the two Malfoys and two Lestranges versus Greyback and 8 of his werewolves.

Lucius, Bella, Narcissa and Rodolphus were trading spells with the werewolves in between ducking behind half of the huge table, where they should be eating lunch on instead of using it as a barricade. The werewolves, only seven of them standing, were hiding behind chunks of table and chairs, dodging the various curses being sent their way. Included was the Flesh-Shredding Curse, materialising from the roof and heading straight for the exposed skin of the non-Death Eaters.

As the Trio entered, attention was drawn to them, and Greyback shouted:

"Who are they?"

"Are they your backup, Greyback?" shouted Bella, flinging a Bone-Breaking Hex at one of Greyback's friends. The said friend fell to the ground, his ribs shattered upon contact. The werewolf coughed a large amount of blood before taking the room's Flesh-Shredders and dying painfully.

"They're not mine!" Greyback growled, who was currently trading spells with Narcissa.

Harry, Ron and Hermione joined in, ducking and dodging in between shielding from some of nastier curses. As one, they pointed their wands around the room and cried:

"_Accio Table_!"

All the table bits, scattered throughout the room, flew towards them. Upon landing in front of the Trio, the table bits became a barricade in front of the door the Trio came through. A few more spells changed it into a more solid shape, rather than a mess of table bits.

In the confusion of losing their cover, the Death Eaters and werewolves forgot about the Trio and dived for each other. Two more werewolves were hit by Flesh-Shredding Curses, and Greyback dived for Narcissa. The blond woman attempted to move out of the way, but she tripped on a fallen goblet and landed on the ground.

"Narcissa!" Lucius shouted, while duelling a bearded werewolf. He couldn't do a thing as Greyback bit and scratched at Narcissa's face, disfiguring it to beyond recognition. Her screams started to become above all noise in the room, and Rodolphus was hit with a Blood Boiling Curse while he worriedly glanced at her direction.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" Harry shouted, the curse sailing over Greyback's head. Fenrir looked up, blood dripping from his sharpened teeth, and flew towards the Trio's barricade.

However, Greyback was on the other side of the room, and had to jump through a large amount of spellfire to get to the Trio's barricade. A stray spell amputated his leg, and Lucius got the killing blow in.

"_Sectumsempra_!" he bellowed. Greyback's torso was split by the spell in mid-air, and the werewolf fell to the ground in two pieces. Technically, he was in three pieces, if you included his recently amputated leg. Lucius then left Bella and Rodolphus to take care of the other werewolves while he ran over to Narcissa's body.

The Trio were using their well oiled techniques to dispatch the remaining werewolves. Upon impaling one of them with a conjured pike, Bella noticed that the Trio were temporarily distracted. She chanted a little, and shot a very destructive Blasting Curse at the Trio's barricade. Harry, Ron and Hermione flew backwards and took some damage from the table explosion.

"You can't hide forever!" Bella cackled. She didn't notice her husband fall to the ground, having taken a Cutting Curse to the forehead and succumbing to the Blood Boiling Curse finally. The blood that poured openly from his forehead bubbled and burned the carpet it was pooling on. Rodolphus died after coughing a large amount of boiling blood and having a blood vessel in his heart explode at the extreme temperature.

Without cover, the werewolves were incapacitated thoroughly, and Bella and Lucius were the only uninjured. While Lucius leaned over his wife and tried to heal her face, Bella duelled the Trio.

"_Crucio_!" she spat. Harry did a quick roll to avoid it, but Hermione fell to the ground, twitching under the curse but not screaming. Bella got that manic look in her eye as Hermione twitched, and Harry and Ron acted.

Harry and Ron hit Bella with a Banishing Charm, flinging her into a blood-covered wall and stopping her curse on Hermione. The two boys and Bella started trading Killing Curses, none of them making contact. Meanwhile, Lucius had picked up his dead wife and taken her body out of the other doors, leaving the Trio and Bella alone.

"Who are you?" Bella demanded, hitting Ron with a Bone-Breaking Hex. The redhead fell to the ground, nursing his ankle.

Harry laughed, while Ron crawled over to Hermione. "Bellatrix... we are your worst nightmares!" He hit her with a Concussion Hex in the stomach, winding her. As she stumbled, Harry blasted the wall behind her and Banished her through it wandlessly. Bella smashed her forehead into the wall and broke her nose, spraying blood on the ground and fainting. Harry didn't hesitate before heading back over to his friends, believing Bella to be properly taken care of for now.

"Harry?" Hermione asked weakly, sitting on the ground, breathing deeply. Ron sat beside her, doing some quick spells on his ankle.

Harry nodded. "Let's get out here. Bella's still alive and kicking, but let's not tempt things. Are the wards down?"

Hermione brought up the ward spiral. "Yes. Several wards have been destroyed... I think they were tied to Narcissa."

"I'm not sorry for her," Ron said bitterly. "Just as bad as the rest of them. Only more pampered."

Harry gathered up his friends and held onto Hermione's return Portkey. "_Activate_."

The three landed on the hill beyond the Manor, and removed their cloaks. Harry winced as he saw the familiar criss-cross of a Flesh-Shredding Curse on his shoulder.

"Must've exposed my skin somehow," he told his friends.

The Trio were rather injured, but fine over all. Harry gained a new scar on his shoulder, and one of his thumbs was dislocated, and he was the most uninjured this time. Ron had a broken ankle, three bruised ribs and burnt knees, while Hermione was twitching still after a bout of Cruciatus, and had a broken wrist.

"Worth it?" Ron asked sometime later, as the Trio sat around at Lovegood Getaway.

"Worth it," Harry and Hermione agreed. Rookwood, Alecto, Rodolphus, Greyback and Narcissa were dead, and not many inner circle members remained alive or not in Azkaban at the moment. It seemed that the Trio's plan at the graveyard would be quite easier to accomplish. Not by much, but just a bit.

..::..--.--..::..

The next day, Malfoy Manor was raided by Aurors under Rufus Scrimgeour's command. The bodies of Rodolphus Lestrange, Alecto Carrow, Augustus Rookwood, Fenrir Greyback and Narcissa Malfoy, along with a dozen werewolves, caused quite a stir.

The _Daily Prophet _reported that Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy were at large, their whereabouts unknown. Harry guessed that they were actually with Voldemort now, but he didn't care about where they were hiding until Voldemort revived himself.

Harry met with Sirius in Dumbledore's old office after breakfast, and told him of the success of the Trio's most recent adventure.

"You three are insane," Sirius had said, shaking his head. After taking a sip from his Coke can, Harry nodded in agreement.

"Definitely. I think we lost our sanity when we came back in time."

Sirius laughed lightly. Things were going great on the Dumbledore-impersonation front. Sirius and Penny were doing fantastic work in that regard, and Remus and Tonks were good helpers too. Remus was still teaching Potions, and was falling in love with teaching all over again.

"Are you ready?" Sirius asked suddenly. "The Third Task is in six days. Next Saturday."

Harry smiled wryly. "We'll be ready, Sirius. Don't you worry."

..::..--.--..::..

It seemed that for the rest of the week, Harry was asked if he was ready for the Third Task daily.

"Third Task is in five days," Hermione said at breakfast one day. After swallowing her porridge, she asked, "Are you ready?"

"Hermione," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "Our plan is good isn't it?"

"I don't know..." Ron whispered, checking for eavesdroppers. There were none, and he continued. "You don't have the connection this time. You're just on your own, playing with fire without fireproof shields."

"Ron..." Harry growled. "Back off. I've got it handled."

In the last war, Voldemort used the connection between himself and Harry to his advantage many times. After many incidents, Harry learnt how to counter Voldemort, laying down what he liked to call 'Love Bombs'. The Love Bombs were memories based around feelings of love, and would explode in Voldemort's face if he tried to tap into Harry's mind. Since Voldemort was allergic to love, it hurt the bad man like all kinds of hell.

But this time around, there was no connection, and Harry couldn't destroy Voldemort's mind with his Love Bombs.

"The Third Task in five days..." Harry muttered to himself. The other members of the Golden Trio shared a look, before patting Harry on the back condescendingly. Harry snorted and returned to his breakfast, while his friends laughed a little.

..::..--.--..::..

"Third Task is in four days Potter!" jeered Draco Malfoy. He was accompanied by his ever-present guards, Crabbe and Goyle and thought he was being a big man, cornering Harry after Potions class.

"Fuck off, Malfoy," Harry snapped, turning away from the ferret.

"Oi Potter! Are you ready to die this weekend?" Malfoy taunted, pulling out his wand.

Harry smirked. "Like your mother?"

Malfoy went pale, and snarled, "Don't fucking talk about my mother Potter."

"Why not?" Harry said, unconcerned. "I heard she got mauled by one your father's friends..."

Malfoy responded with a Dark spell Harry recognised as a Lung Puncture Hex. Harry's wand was out and a shield was up before the hex could make contact, and his reply Body-Bind hit Goyle, knocking the larger boy to the ground.

"Is that it, Malfoy?" Harry taunted, dodging another curse.

Crabbe had his wand out by now, but only Harry noticed it was pointed the wrong way. Poor Crabbe hexed himself with a Slug-Vomiting Hex, and was on his hands and knees, retching slugs. Harry shot off a quick Stunner, and the large Slytherin boy collapsed into a pool of vomited slugs.

Malfoy continued to shoot a string of curses, and Harry continued to shield and reply. Unfortunately, Malfoy seemed to be quite proficient at dodging curses, so Harry didn't land anything on the blond boy. Suddenly, Harry caught a glint of something out of the corner of his eye, and he dropped his wand.

His shield down, Harry had to take the brunt of Malfoy's next curse. Harry was swept off of his feet and landed awkwardly on the ground, his skin turning an unhealthy shade of purple.

"_Crucio_," Malfoy spat, hitting Harry with the Cruciatus Curse. It was surprisingly strong, but Harry didn't give the blond teen the satisfaction of screaming or anything. Instead, he just adopted a strained look and tried to smirk.

"Mr Malfoy!"

Only now did Draco Malfoy notice the three Professors standing further along the corridor, wands out. Remus had a slight smile on his face, but McGonagall and Sprout did not look amused at all.

"That was an Unforgivable!" Sprout cried. McGonagall nodded stiffly.

"Remus, can you please take Mr Malfoy's wand?" she asked, and Remus agreed.

Malfoy, still in shock, did nothing to stop Remus from taking his wand and binding him with magical ropes. He was led away by Remus, and Sprout and McGonagall approached Harry.

"You'll be just fine, Mr Potter," McGonagall assured, levitating him to the Hospital Wing. Harry couldn't help but smile triumphantly at how the scene played out...

..::..--.--..::..

"The Third Task is in three days, and I can think about is Malfoy being arrested," Harry said gleefully. Aimee, sitting on the foot of his bed reading the _Daily Prophet_, laughed softly.

"The ferret deserved it," she said, scanning the paper's front page. Malfoy was arrested and taken to Azkaban for using an Unforgivable on Harry Potter. Since he was a minor, he was in low security, and would stay in Azkaban for ten years before an appeal could be given. Harry thought the ferret got off easy, but he didn't complain. Draco Malfoy would never bother him again.

"I need to get out of here," Harry complained, itching his arm. Malfoy's curse had caused a purplish burn on his arm, and the salve Madam Pomfrey put on it itched a lot. Harry wished he had taken the brunt of a more harmless curse before being Crucio'd. Yeah, he was a little insane like that.

Aimee dropped the paper on Harry's bedside table, and crawled up the bed a little. Harry smiled at her.

"Or I could hang around in bed for a little longer." Aimee nodded, and leaned in for a soft kiss.

Fifteen minutes later, Aimee was kicked out of the Hospital Wing by Madam Pomfrey, who didn't appreciate that kind of behaviour in her ward. Aimee put her robes back on before leaving, laughing all the way. After she had left, Harry pouted at Madam Pomfrey.

"You're no fun."

..::..--.--..::..

"Wormtail, the Third Task is in two days," Voldemort hissed. He was getting antsy just waiting to get a new body. Something about staying in a Dark-magic created monster baby form wasn't appealing to a great and powerful Dark Lord. "Has Crouch contacted you yet?"

Wormtail shook his head. "No, my Lord. But I believe he will be in contact this time tomorrow."

Voldemort smiled. "Good. How is Bella?"

"Lucius said her... bones are... regrown," Wormtail stuttered. "My Lord, are you sure the two of them are fit for duty?"

Voldemort gave his servant a look, but didn't curse him this time. "They have an obligation to their Lord above all, Wormtail. I am sorry for their losses, I truly am, but I do not need emotional wrecks on the battlefield. Rodolphus and Narcissa are terrible losses for our cause, and I will mourn their usefulness."

"Yes, my Lord."

"What I wonder..." Voldemort said silkily. "Is who attacked them... What three figures in scarlet cloaks killed my inner circle members, and survived themselves? They must be stopped, and I will be the one to do it."

"Perhaps we should lay a trap, my Lord," suggested Wormtail. Voldemort nodded.

"Indeed. When I return to power and kill the Potter brat, I will set a great trap for the Scarlet Trio, and finish them. Their reign over my Death Eaters will last months, but their deaths will last years in comparison."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Then comes Dumbledore's Order," Voldemort declared. "I will get a mole into that organisation, and keep an eye on the old man. He will die soon..."

"Who will be your mole, sir? Severus?"

"Not Severus Snape. The coward felt the Mark get clearer, and apparently left the country. Karkaroff will do the same, if Crouch's intelligence is correct."

"Yes, my Lord."

Voldemort dismissed Wormtail, and then watched the fireplace for a while. Soon, he would be in a body, more powerful than before. Soon, he would crush all his enemies, one by one, until only Voldemort's pure order remained. The dream of Salazar Slytherin was so close... Voldemort could almost taste it.

..::..--.--..::..

"Third Task is tomorrow. All things need to be ready. And I mean all things. This is the big one, the one we've been waiting for."

"You sound like Oliver Wood, mate."

"Always the funny man aren't you, Ron?"

"You're either jealous, drunk or a mean person."

"I'm a bit of all three."

The Trio were holed up in the Room of Requirement, spending the day training and going over 'The Great Graveyard Plan'. The Room was looking a lot like the Little Hangleton's graveyard, and the three were running simulations against wooden dummies. Unfortunately, the Room was unable to make the dummies attack back, but the Trio worked around that.

Harry kicked Voldemort's wooden head into an open grave.

"Hmm..."

"What's on your mind, Harry?" Hermione asked, sitting on a gravestone.

Harry mentally asked the room to shift into the Gryffindor Common Room, and Hermione's gravestone turned into a comfy armchair.

"Very little, surprisingly," Harry replied, settling into his own armchair.

"Nothing about Voldemort?"

"No."

"The two remaining Horcruxes?"

"Sirius is getting the cup and Nagini will die tomorrow."

"The future Horcrux in Serenity Valley?"

"Key word there is 'future'."

Hermione huffed, and sat back in her armchair.

"Aimee?" Ron suggested. Harry nodded briefly.

"After tomorrow... I'm going to tell her everything."

Ron and Hermione shared a look. "Are you sure mate?" Ron asked. "We like Aimee all well and good, and she makes you happy... but are you sure sure?"

"Yes Ron, I'm sure sure."

"Great!" Ron exclaimed. "We'll set up the Pensieve and the alcohol and have a blast!"

Harry grinned. "Calm down, let's not make a party out of it."

"We should," Ron said. "We didn't when Sirius, Remus, Tonks and Penny found out. No, we'll have a banner reading: 'Welcome to the club, Aimee Moon!'. And whoever we tell next is getting their name on the banner."

Hermione giggled, and Harry smiled at his friend.

"Pray tell Ron, who's paying for this oh-so-fantastic banner?" Harry asked.

"Our mutual Irish friend of course."

Harry almost fell out of his chair. "He's still alive? He didn't try to mooch you after the Harpies won the League?"

"Oh he did," Ron said reassuringly. "But he's learnt his lesson the first three times. Besides, I've placed a huge sum on you winning the Triwizard Tournament. Easy money."

"No class," Hermione grumbled.

"Ron, don't you think that's cheating?" Harry said. "I mean, you two will be with me in that maze, making sure I win!"

"So?"

"So? Oh right, the money... tell your friend that I put in the same amount you did."

"And if he tries to screw the two of you over again?" Hermione inquired.

Harry and Ron shot her an annoyed look.

"Then he loses another toe," Harry said clearly.

"He's only got three left," Ron added.

Hermione just shook her head at it all.

"Hey guys," interrupted Aimee, entering the room. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much," Harry said, sliding up to her. "Hi."

Aimee raised her eyebrows. "Aren't we in a good mood tonight? Where's the Firewhisky?"

Hermione snorted, and stood up. "Ron, we were just leaving to do homework right?"

"What?"

"Ron..."

"Oh right. Have fun you two." Ron and Hermione left the Room, and Harry subtly asked it to shift into somewhere a little more romantic. Tonight's romantic location was a small room with a large fireplace and a very luxurious double bed with dark curtains. The Room's magic produced a light music and faint aroma, and the couple settled onto the bed.

"Third Task is tomorrow," Aimee prompted, removing her robes. Harry grinned and took off his T-shirt. Aimee slid her hands up and down his chest, while Harry took a gentle hold of his girlfriend's fists.

"So I've heard," he said. "Will you be cheering me in the stands, milady?"

"I don't know..." Aimee said teasingly. "Give me a reason too and I might..."

Four hours later, the duo reluctantly parted and headed back to their dorm rooms. Before Aimee could turn the corner and head down to the dungeons, Harry called out:

"Was that a good enough reason?"

"Hell yes!"

..::..--.--..::..

Breakfast was a very noisy affair at the Gryffindor table on the morning of the Third Task. The post owls brought no notes for the Trio, and the _Daily Prophet _was a very uninteresting read. The mood of the Great Hall was upbeat and excited. The Triwizard Tournament was to end after today, and a lot of students were running under-the-table betting rings. Since the Headmaster was a Maruader-in-disguise, these bets weren't stopped.

"We've got our History of Magic exam in twenty minutes," Ron moaned.

"So what?" Harry said. "We've got bigger fish to fry mate. Namely some Dark Lordy fish."

Ron stuck his tongue out at Harry.

"Mature."

"Potter," came the brisk voice of McGonagall. "The champions are congregating in the chamber off the Hall after breakfast."

"Sure thing, Professor," said Harry.

"The champions' families are invited to watch the Third Task, you know. This will be a chance for you to greet them."

"Gotcha."

"I'm aware that your relatives," McGonagall added a certain disgust to the last word, "aren't coming, merely your surrogate family."

"Your word is law, Professor."

Once McGonagall had walked off, Ron asked the burning question:

"Mum and Bill again?"

Harry nodded. "Who else?"

Harry finished his breakfast, waved goodbye to his friends and Aimee over at the Slytherin table (She was revising for her DADA exam, and in a bit of a tetchy mood). The Hall began to empty as Harry crossed over to the side chamber, followed by Fleur, Krum and Cedric.

Upon entering, Harry walked over to the fireplace, where Mrs Weasley and Bill were waiting.

"Surprise!" Mrs Weasley said excitedly, and Harry smiled politely. "Thought we come and watch you, Harry!"

"Good to see you again," Harry said, shaking Bill's hand and patting Molly on the shoulder. "Thanks for showing up."

"Oh it's no problem at all!"

Harry caught Fleur in his peripheral vision, eying Bill up and down like a piece of meat. Harry internally sighed - looks like a wedding would be happening in three years. Clear your datebooks.

"It's great being back here," said Bill, looking around the chamber. "Haven't seen this old place for five years. Is that picture of the mad knight still around? Sir Cadogan?

Harry had an enjoyable morning walking over the sunny grounds with Bill and Mrs Weasley, showing them the sights and sounds of the castle. While the trio were studying the Whomping Willow, Harry asked:

"How's Percy doing?"

"Not good," replied Bill.

"He's doing good in his job, no doubt," Mrs Weasley said sadly. "But he saw Penelope Clearwater, his old girlfriend you know, out with another man a few months ago. He's been in a state ever since."

"Poor Percy."

The trio returned to the Great Hall for lunch, and Harry left Mrs Weasley and Bill to catch up with the other Weasleys while he wandered over to the Slytherin table and sat next to Aimee.

"Weird," he said, taking a seat and peering around. "No Malfoy to tell me off for sitting at this table."

Aimee laughed, and kissed Harry lightly. "All thanks to you I guess."

"Malfoy did it to himself," Harry said firmly. That was his story and he was sticking to it. "How was your exam?"

Aimee started to talk about forgetting the difference between Concussion Charms and Concussion Hexes (The charm didn't hurt as much, and the hex was slightly more powerful), and Harry listened politely, interjecting his own advice about battling the Imperius curse.

"Massive amounts of Occlumency," he advised.

"Why didn't I think of that?"

As lunch ended and Aimee ran off to her Charms practical, Harry rejoined Bill and Mrs Weasley for an afternoon walk.

"Who was the girl Harry?" Bill asked slyly, as the trio left the Great Hall.

"That's my girlfriend actually," Harry said. Mrs Weasley let out a little gasp. "We've been dating since the Yule Ball. Her name's Aimee Moon."

"A French girl?" Bill said dreamily. "I love the French."

Harry leaned in and whispered, "And Fleur Delacour is single you know."

"You're dating her?" Mrs Weasley said, sounding a little shocked. "I didn't know that."

"Ron didn't send you a letter or anything?"

"No!" Mrs Weasley cried. "He, Fred and George haven't told me, and all Ginny's letters were about you actually befriending her."

Harry fought hard, but couldn't help but let out a snort. "I kind of stopped that after she dumped her boyfriend and gave me hints to do the same to Aimee."

Bill laughed uproariously, while Mrs Weasley looked scandalised. "My Ginny had a boyfriend?" she screeched.

The rest of the afternoon was a casual affair of walking around the castle and talking politely. The highlights of the day:

"Yes, Bill, Fleur really is single! Stop bugging me!"

"This is the staircase where I caught Ron and Hermione going at it. Oh, god. You don't know that they're a couple yet?"

"Fred and George haven't mentioned anything about leaving school and starting their joke shop business. And I certainly haven't lent them 2000 Galleons I won in a bet with an Irish friend."

"What? Mrs Weasley, I don't use the Astronomy Tower for that!"

"No, I don't need the sex talk. Trust me, Remus covered it once, and it was horrible."

"Shame about Snape, isn't it? I wanted to place his head or at least his wand on my mantel. Would've been a great trophy."

"Yes Bill! Fuck off, Fleur is single! And if you don't ask her out, I will curse you."

A fun time for all.

The evening feast was another fun time for all. Aimee joined Harry at the Gryffindor table, and advised Bill that picking up French girls is no different than picking up English girls. She chatted politely with Mrs Weasley, who kept her face in a non-commital yet slightly disproving look. The look was matched by Ginny, who really didn't like Aimee one bit.

Percy wasn't present up on the Head Table, perhaps at home waiting for the phone to ring or something. Amelia Bones, in all her Minsiter-y glory, sat and chatted with Mary Christian (Remember her? Penelope in disguise).

Harry, leaving Aimee to chat with Hermione about Contraceptive Potion recipes, walked up and said hi to the Minister.

"Minister Bones."

"Harry Potter, how is your godfather?"

Sirius, in his disguise as Dumbledore, smiled widely. "Yes, Harry. How is your greatest godfather Sirius doing?"

Harry cast a grin at the imposter Headmaster. "My godfather has been too busy with his new girlfriend to send me any new letters. It's a shame, but I'm sure he's not up to anything illegal."

"Yes," Amelia said sadly. "He stole my best scribe and took her to the British Virgin Islands for the last four months."

"Darn him," Harry said. When Amelia's head was turned, Harry shot Sirius a wink.

"And Penelope being on holiday is the reason I'm here tonight," Amelia continued. "Crouch's replacement, Weatherby, using to date Clearwater, and he's upset... and here I am."

Harry noticed 'Mary Christian' and 'Headmaster Dumbledore' looking rather pleased with themselves. He decided to leave the conversation. "Have a pleasant evening anyway, Minister Bones. Stay out of trouble, Headmaster."

"Harry," Sirius said suddenly. "I wasn't able to procure the object you wanted me too. It seems the Goblins are still stonewalling me." Harry remembered that Sirius was in talks to claim the Lestrange Vault with the Goblins, in order to retrieve Hufflepuff's cup. Harry took this news blank faced in front of Sirius and the Minister.

"Life is full of surprises. Thanks a lot, sir."

Harry walked back to his table, cursing softly. Sirius was unable to get the cup Horcrux, and Voldemort couldn't be killed quite yet. That was a pickle on the large crap sandwich that was this Third Task.

The enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall became progressively darker, and it was time for the Third Task. It was time to face Voldemort again.

"Guys," Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione. "Sirius didn't get the cup. The plan has changed."

"Fuck," Ron murmured. "Plan?"

"Changed!" Harry snapped. "I just fucking told you. Take care of your problems, and I'll be taking care of Flightymort. I know several good binding spells, maybe I'll transfigure him or something."

"Ladies and gentleman, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch Pitch," said Sirius, using his best Dumbledore voice. "The third and last task of this Tournament will be played out in five minutes' time. Mr Bagman, will you please lead the four champions to the pitch?"

Then came the applause. From Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. From the visiting parents, and from the teachers. Harry tried to tune it out, but it was rather overwhelming. He kissed Aimee softly, lingering for a second.

"Time to finish this headache," he told her.

She smiled. "Good luck Harry. Don't let me lose the one guy I'm emotionally invested in."

"I think we'll be changing that to love soon."

Harry left the Gryffindor table and a pleasantly surprised Aimee behind, giving a brief hand signal to Ron and Hermione. Bagman ushered the champions out of the castle, and onto the grounds. As Harry walked out to the Quidditch Pitch, Ron and Hermione were about to enact their own plan.

"Oh crap!" Ron suddenly cursed, as he entered the Entrance Hall with his family and Hermione. "I totally forgot my Omnioculars! I'm going to have to go and get them!"

"I'll come with you," said Hermione. The Weasleys waved them off, and the two ran up a few floors to Moody's office. Hermione was removing several shrunken objects from her backpack, and started to enlarge them.

"Cloaks?"

"Check."

"Rat cage?"

"Check."

"Emergency potions?"

"Check."

"Ward stones?"

"Check."

"Backup weapons?"

"Check."

"Wand?"

"Check and check yours."

Ron unlocked Moody's office with an _Alohomora _and a running start, bruising his shoulder slightly. Upon entering the office, Hermione busted open the large trunk in the corner of the room, including the compartment holding an unconscious Mad-Eye Moody.

"There he is," Ron said fondly, levitating him out of the trunk and onto the floor.

"Hand me the potions," Hermione ordered, and Ron withdrew several potions from Hermione's bag. She poured them down Moody's throat, and he started to stir. However, the real Alastor Moody would still be unconscious for quite some time.

"He's good, let's roll."

Ron handed Hermione one of the scarlet cloaks, and put his own on. Upon donning the cloaks, the spell causing burning upon contact with the scarlet material was activated, and the two-thirds of the Golden Trio stepped away from each other a little.

"How's Harry going to stop Voldemort without killing him?" Ron asked, checking his backup wand strapped to his ankle.

Hermione shrugged. "Not a clue."

..::..--.--..::..

While Ron and Hermione prepared themselves, Harry was awaiting for Bagman's signal to enter the maze.

"On my whistle, Harry!" said Bagman. The crowd was cheering loudly, sending some birds fluttering into the sky. Harry nodded, and Bagman counted down. "Three - two - one -"

Bagman blew on his whistle, and Harry hurried forwards into the maze.

The towering hedges making up the maze looked eerie from Harry's height, and the fact that no sound could really penetrate them made it all that much more creepy. But, Harry had not spent four days going over his memories for nothing.

"_Lumos_," he murmured, igniting his wand tip. He continued forward for fifty yards or so, before reaching a fork. "Go with what you know," he said, heading for the left fork.

As he turned, Harry heard Bagman's whistle; Cedric had entered the maze and was on Harry's tail, so to speak. His chosen path was rather deserted, but he turned at the first right and soon reached a second fork. He took the left fork as the whistle sounded again, and Krum entered the maze. He sped up and turned at the first right, remembering the eerie lack of obstacles in the first part of the maze.

"Fucking Crouch," he muttered.

He didn't run into anything until he turned another right, and saw a Dementor gliding his way.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" he shouted, blasting the Boggart with a very shiny Prongs Patroni. "_Riddikulus_!"

The Boggart exploded in a wisp of smoke, and Harry continued on. He took a left, then a right, found a dead end, took left again, and turned backwards and found a right turn. He spotted the golden mist like last time.

The Reserve Enchanters' Mist was an old Celtic spell, but it was easily dispelled with a modern Finite and a bit of power. While Harry took down the Mist, he heard a shrill scream.

"There goes Fleur," he said to himself. Inwardly, he was hoping for Ron and Hermione to hurry up already.

..::..--.--..::..

"There goes Fleur," Ron muttered. Hermione nodded underneath her cloak.

"_Point me_," she whispered, holding her wand flat on her palm. As directed, the wand pointed her to the east a little. "This way."

The duo were invisible and circling the maze, looking for Crouch. Thanks to Fleur's scream, they could pinpoint the man's location easier.

Ten minutes passed before the duo found anyone. Crouch Jr was dragging Cedric's unconscious form out of the maze, blasting aside hedges along the way.

"Freeze!" Ron shouted, and Crouch raised his wand.

"Who are you?" he growled, peering at Ron and Hermione. "Scarlet cloaks..."

"Heard of us, Barty?"

Crouch reeled backwards like he had been slapped. "How did you know?" he demanded. "Tell me!"

"You're rather sloppy," Hermione said. "I mean, you ditched your disguise to talk to Wormtail back in October. The night you put Harry's name in the Goblet."

Crouch gaped at her.

"Oh yeah," Ron said unconcernedly. "Wormtail was right, that little rat. You should've been more careful."

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Crouch snarled. Ron and Hermione were already on the move, ducking the curse and raising their own wands.

"_Stupefy_!"

"_Avada Kedavra_!"

Both spells hit the imposter, one after the other. Ron shot Hermione an annoyed look and gestured to Crouch's body.

"You and your moral compass! You killed Macnair, don't you remember?"

Hermione breathed in and snorted. "I was going to ask him what he did with Krum, but noooo... you had to be all _Avada Kedavra_ happy."

"Oh right. Forgot about Krum."

"And?"

"Sorry Hermione."

..::..--.--..::..

Harry found Krum trying to wrestle a Blast-Ended Skrewt with his bare hands. Harry didn't need Hermione's ever-thinking brain to tell him that Krum was under Imperius.

"_Sectumsempra_!"

The Dark Slashing Curse removed the Skrewt's head (Or what Harry assumed to be the head) and splattered Krum with blackish blood.

"Hey Krum!" Harry said cheerily, leaning over the Seeker. Krum was covered in cuts and burns, and one of his arms was oozing yellow pus. "_Stupefy_!" Harry decided to help his fellow champion by removing him from the game. He didn't bother to shoot off red sparks, knowing there was nothing left to maul Krum while he lay in the grass, unconscious.

Harry found himself nearing the heart of the maze after a few minutes of needless running around. He definitely knew he was close when he found a sphinx blocking his way.

"You are very near your goal. The quickest way is past me."

"Get on with it," Harry said, and prepared to listen to the sphinx's riddle.

..::..--.--..::..

Meanwhile, at Little Hangleton, Bella, Lucius and Wormtail were awaiting Harry's arrival. Lucius had set up all kinds of wards to prevent anyone from Harry's Light Side from finding him. However, those wards did not include anything that could prevent Death Eaters from coming into the graveyard.

"This is it!" Bella said excitedly, bouncing up and down like a schoolgirl. "The one we've all be waiting for! I can't wait to pleasure my Lord tonight!"

Lucius grimaced, and Wormtail looked rather indifferent.

"How many of the Lord's servants will be returning tonight?" Lucius asked Wormtail, who seemed to know more about Voldemort's affairs than he did.

"Less than a dozen," Wormtail said sadly. "With Nott, Parkison, Goyle, Crabbe, DeSilva, Bulstrode, Marius, Thorne, Narcissa, Antonin, Travers, Selwyn, Flint, Rodolphus, Rabastan, Avery, Alecto, Amycus, Slakov, Augustus, Yaxley, Mulciber, Mueller and even Fenrir dead or in prison... we don't have that many."

Bella gaped. That was a lot of Death Eaters.

"But..." she stuttered. "Our Lord has us! And Gibbon! And Rowle!"

"Who else though?"

"There's the traitors! Karkaroff! Manos! Snape!"

"No, they're not coming back Bella."

"It's a new generation! Lucius' son, for instance."

Lucius' eyes went cold. "My son is in Azkaban for using an Unforgivable on Harry Potter."

"Oh, right."

If any of the three Death Eaters wanted to curse someone as much as they did at that moment, it would have to be a very, very, very bad day for them.

"Bella?" Voldemort wheezed. He was wrapped in a robe, and was resting on top of a grave, Nagini coiling around him like a shield.

"My Lord?"

"Bella, did you go to Gringotts for me? Did you get the cup?"

Bella produced the golden cup she retrieved from her vault just yesterday. So while the Goblins were stopping Sirius from getting her vault, she had already gone and got the only thing Sirius was trying to take.

Bella presented the cup before her master. "Here it is, my Lord."

"Good..." Voldemort hissed. "I am glad you are not as disappointing as Lucius, who foolishly gave up the diary for revenge on the Weasley family."

"Thank you, my Lord."

Lucius spoke up sheepishly. "I am sorry for that my Lord."

Voldemort glared at him. "And I have already tortured you extensively for your blunder. Wormtail, give Mr Malfoy a taste of Cruciatus."

"_Crucio_."

As Malfoy's scream's echoed in the graveyard, and beyond in the township of Little Hangleton, Voldemort turned to Bella.

"Bella, keep that cup on you at all times."

"Yes, my Lord."

..::..--.--..::..

After answering the Sphinx's riddle, Harry found himself on the final path towards the Triwizard Cup. Now, he would play the waiting game.

Ten minutes passed, and Harry had brought out a deck of cards he found in the bottom of his trunk. These were the same cards he 'borrowed' from Dudley some time ago, and never gave back. He was halfway through a game of Solitaire when Ron and Hermione showed, blasting their way through a hedge.

"I hate hedges," Ron complained, climbing through the hole he created. "Hey Harry."

"You guys took your time," Harry said lightly, packing up the cards. "How are things?"

"Fine," they said in unison. Hermione decided to elaborate.

"Cedric was taken out of the maze, and Ron killed Crouch. We lit a fire and made it look like Crouch fought a Blast-Ended Skrewt and died. Of course, with Sirius leading the investigation, that's what everyone will think."

"Good. Ready to do this?"

Both nodded, and Hermione produced Harry's cloak from her bag.

"Thanks."

Harry suited up, putting the cloak on underneath his robes. It was rather uncomfortable, but Voldemort wasn't to know he was a scarlet cloaksman before being revived. For safety reasons, he didn't activate the spell that caused burning upon contact with the cloak.

The Trio made their way to the Cup, being temporarily blocked by an Acromantula.

"_Sectumsempra_!"

"_Confringo_!"

"_Avis!_"

Harry's first curse killed the spider, Ron's curse obliterated the body, and Hermione conjured a flock of small birds to eat the spider remains.

"Harry," Hermione started, as the Trio watched the birds peck at the Acromantula remains. "Remember how I begged and begged us to have a plan?"

"Yeah. It was foolproof until we found out we haven't got Hufflepuff's cup."

Hermione looked conflicted. "Sorry Harry, but we need a plan now! I'm serious, we don't have the cup, and Voldemort needs to be killed instantly!"

"No he doesn't," Harry said soothingly. "Remember what I said at dinner? I can just bind him until its time to kill him. I did it to Dumbledore, and I'll do it Voldemort."

"But you don't have the Room of Requirement this time!"

Harry shook his head and patted Hermione on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I've got it figured."

Ron nodded in agreement. "Plan?"

Harry smiled. "Plan... Ron, you get Wormtail. And I mean get him quickly. Stun him only, then stuff him in the cage."

Ron brought the cage out from his pocket. "I like that plan."

"Hermione," Harry said, turning to her. "Bella and Lucius. All yours."

"And you?"

Harry grinned. "I've got Nagini, then trapping Voldemort. We'll keep him there until the cup Horcrux can be claimed."

The Trio, with a plan that might actually work, made their way over to the exact centre of the maze. The golden Triwizard Cup was standing by, looking shiny and harmless. Ron and Hermione used Disillusionment Charms on themselves, to avoid being detected right away from Voldemort and his crew.

"We should say something..." Harry said, gesturing to the Triwizard Cup.

"What a long, strange trip it's been?"

"Here's hoping it'll end in serenity?"

"Fine, let's not say anything."

The Trio all grasped the cup, and felt the instant jerk of Portkey travel.

..::..--.--..::..

Things went much the same this second time around. Harry arrived at the Little Hangleton graveyard, seemingly alone. With no spares to kill, Wormtail, Bella and Lucius wasted no time in disarming Harry's main wand (His spare was strapped to his ankle), tying him to a headstone, and starting the resurrection process.

"Potter!" Lucius hissed, waving his wand in Harry's face. "Amazing how far your insolence got you, boy? Do you regret freeing my servant now?"

Harry glared at him, while Bella cackled a little. Wormtail was lighting the cauldron where Voldemort would rise from, while the Dark Lord himself sat on a nearby grave, Nagini circling the area.

While Wormtail lowered baby monster Voldemort into the cauldron, Harry caught a brief rustle in the nearby trees.

Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione had found the ward stones, hidden at the base of a tree just beyond the actual graveyard. Hermione's quick analysis showed some very basic wards.

"Anti-Apparation, no incoming Portkeys, Muggle-Repelling wards," she announced. "No outgoing Portkey wards though, and wards that allow people with Dark Marks to come and go freely. It's why Harry was able to escape so easily last time - Voldemort wasn't expecting Harry to use the Cup as a return Portkey."

"Can you take control?" Ron asked, casting a glance behind him. Harry was tied to a headstone and Voldemort was in the cauldron. Bella and Lucius were watching eagerly, while Wormtail was reciting the ritual.

Hermione nodded, and removed several anchor stones from her shrunken bag. "Give me a minute, I'll add my own Anti-Apparation spells, trapping the Death Eaters in a bigger radius. Anti-Animagus too, for Wormtail. I've also got a few surprises planned, but I'll need your help..."

Back at the main graveyard, Wormtail was about to enact the second part of Voldemort's resurrection, by cutting off his own hand. Just like last time, he looked particularly squeamish at the idea. But who wouldn't look squeamish at the idea of cutting off one's own hand? Bellatrix Lestrange, perhaps, but she was just your routine insane henchwitch.

"_Flesh- of the servant - w-willingly given - you will - revive - your master_."

This time, Harry actually watched with sick fascination as Wormtail cut off his own hand. The squelching noise immediately joined the visual effect of blood, muscle, flesh and bone misting a little to the ground and on Wormtail's robes. Following the squelching noise came Wormtail's screams of agony, echoing throughout the graveyard.

Bella acted first by levitating Wormtail's hand and dropping it in the cauldron. Lucius cauterised Wormtail's wound and added a numbing charm to stop the man's pitiful moaning and panting. Since Wormtail started the ritual, he would have to finish it, and the other two Death Eaters didn't want a dead Wormtail... yet.

Wormtail was on his feet after a minute, and approached Harry with a silver knife in hand. He cut Harry's arm slightly, and took the blood for his master's cauldron. Harry for his part did nothing to resist as Wormtail cut him - what could he do anyway?

"_B-blood of the enemy... forcibly taken... you will... resurrect your foe."_

Wormtail dropped to the ground after putting the blood in Voldemort's cauldron, and Bella and Lucius watched in rapt attention as the cauldron shimmering and bubbled, and Harry was temporarily blinded by a white stream of light.

Voldemort rose slowly out of the cauldron, and wordlessly took the robes Bella offered him. Harry's eyes narrowed at the sight of the Dark Lord. Such a pain to fight and kill, he mused. Voldemort's ritual to revive himself left him with some rather interesting side effects. Nagini's venom gave him the flat, snake-like nose, while Acromantula venom gave him long fingers. Manticore hair gave the Dark Lord extra dexterity, while sacrificing the ability to reproduce in the process.

However, there was one side effect of the ritual Voldemort had not foreseen as of yet.

Harry noticed it first, as Voldemort wordlessly gave Wormtail a new silver arm and then pressed on Bella's Mark with his wand. A strange pattern of sickly green had appeared on the back of Voldemort's head, a pattern Harry could only somewhat recognise as Voldemort's veins and capillaries. It seemed the blood flowing through Voldemort's body wasn't quite red after all. And since it was Harry's freely given blood...

For years, Harry wondered what would of happened if Voldemort's ritual was botched by a faulty ingredient or goat bones instead of Tom Riddle Sr's. For minutes, Harry had the plan to let Wormtail take his blood, and thus change the ritual. The ritual was all about having blood taken forcibly, not freely given.

Whoops.

Bella, Lucius and Wormtail noticed nothing while they awaited the return of the other Death Eaters. Voldemort, Harry noticed, was looking paler than usual, and the top of his bald head was turning the same green colour as the back. The bad man's scarlet eyes slipped out of focus for a moment, and Harry almost roared triumphantly.

Instead of roaring, Harry subtly moved his hand to the back of his knee, where he could have easier access to his spare wand and pocket knife. As he did in his battle with Dumbledore, some wandless magic would make all the difference. With Voldemort weakened by the botched ritual, perhaps the Dark Lord would be caught by surprise so much and be easily dispatched.

Then the Death Eaters arrived. Out from the trees, appearing near gravestones, and from every shadow came less than ten cloaked figures. Voldemort looked slightly disturbed at the numbers, but didn't comment. The Death Eaters circled towards the gravestone the ritual took place near, and everybody heard a single call:

"_ACTIVATE!_"

To their credit, most of the Death Eaters had their wands out after Hermione's new ward was activated. She stole the idea from Rookwood, who created Flesh-Shredding Wards to target people who weren't Marked. Instead, she did the opposite, focusing on the Marked.

The headstones closest to the Death Eaters rose from the ground and attacked the cloaked men. Three of the Death Eaters died messy deaths when the stone headstones smashed their faces, spine and chest inwards. A rogue bit of stone impaled a wizard to the ground, blood spurting outwards like a faucet.

"What is this?" Voldemort demanded. He destroyed several headstones that were attacking his soldiers, and never noticed the next part of Hermione and Ron's spell.

Branches from the nearest trees elongated and moved with tremedous speed towards the masked men. A branch swung in a wide arc and tripped up a few of the Death Eaters, while another smashed directly into Lucius Malfoy's nose. Voldemort took initiative and burnt the branches, saving the lives of one or two of his Death Eaters again.

Harry wandlessly banished his mouth gag, and Summoned his wand and pocket knife in one motion. He directed his wand to the knife and Banished it towards one of the tripped Death Eaters. The knife made contact when the Death Eater got to his feet, impaling on the man's chest. He fell to the ground on one of his comrades, the man impaled by some stone shrapnel and bleeding profusely. Both men died of blood loss moments later.

Ron and Hermione became visible as Voldemort turned to Harry, flinging spells at the other Death Eaters. Ron broke off to go after Wormtail, while Hermione conjured some useful allies against the remaining Death Eaters. Several murders of black crows dive bombed the Marked men, resulting in only one death before Bella destroyed them all. The dead man had been directly pecked in the throat, creating a nice bleeding hole to die painfully by.

Harry summoned his first wand with his left hand, and deflected Voldemort's first curse with his spare wand. The Dark Lord's face and hands were the sickly green colour, and his spell didn't seem to have much force in it. Harry smirked and sent two simultaneous Blasting Curses at Voldemort's feet. The Dark Lord was forced to jump backwards, and stumbled upon landing. He still managed to stop Harry's next spells by using the body of one of his servants, and the duel was on.

Ron was a few feet away from the mess of the battle, chasing a one-armed Wormtail. The Animagus had no wand, and couldn't transform, forcing him to run the old fashioned way. Ron transfigured a nearby headstone into a razor-sharp silver disc, Banishing it towards Wormtail. The rat caught the disc in the upper thigh, the force of Ron's spell pinning him to the ground and destroying the man's ability to walk again.

Hermione was dealing with the three remaining Death Eaters while Harry and Ron dealt with their targets. She lost her moral compass by using a particularly Dark curse to eviscerate a masked Death Eater, who fell to the ground and groaned, holding his bleeding stomach. Bella and Lucius were the only two standing, both relatively uninjured, if you didn't count Lucius' broken nose and missing tooth. The Malfoy scion was still able to duel, but couldn't use any spells with a 's' in them without whistling a little.

Harry conjured a set of barb wire ropes and wrapped them around Voldemort's leg, causing the Dark Lord to trip and fall flat on his back. While on the ground, Voldemort rolled to avoid Harry's next volley, and dispelled the ropes with his own wand. He stuck his wand to the ground and used a Tremor Jinx, creating a wave of dirt and rock in Harry's direction. Harry stumbled and dropped his first and preferred wand, leaving him with just his spare in his left hand. He quickly placed the wand in his right hand and rejoined the battle.

Ron approached Wormtail cautiously, holding the rat cage Hermione supplied him with. The Death Eater/traitor/Animagus was pinned by Ron's conjured weapon, bleeding quite profusely. Ron was just about to transfigure the man into his rat form and stuff him in the cage when he took a look at Wormtail's silver hand. A quick _Incendio _spell took care of the silver hand, burning it to a crisp and reducing Wormtail to a snivelling mess. Ron helpfully sent his most powerful Stunner to take care of the rat, and only vaguely heard a hissing noise behind him.

Hermione grimaced as one of Lucius' spells grazed her cloak. She used a bit of power to hit Bella with a Heat Haze Hex, breaking the woman's shield. Bella's face started to heat up a little, and she growled. She unleashed a volley of curses and Dark spells, and Hermione blocked them all with shields and conjured rocks. She replied with her own barrage, which was blocked by Lucius' shield. The effects of the Heat Haze Hex took hold of Bella, who started to stumble and lose concentration of the immediate battle. Hermione pointed her wand to a nearby grave, letting loose a strong Exploding Curse. While she did that, Lucius took aim and shot a strong Concussion Hex.

Harry and Voldemort were still locked in a fruitless little battle. Although weakened by the botched ritual, Voldemort still had some tough stuff. Harry caught a glimpse of Hermione taking a Concussion Hex to the chest in the corner of his eye, and grimaced as she fell to the ground. Harry conjured a plate to block Voldemort's spell, and decided to take care of one of Hermione's problems and then some. Voldemort unknowingly helped out by shooting off a Blasting Curse, and Harry used a strong shield and angled it slightly. The curse impacted the shield and bounced off at an angle, towards Hermione's direction.

Hermione groaned and tried to stand, but the force of Lucius' hex was making that difficult. Her opponents were still standing, although Bella had stopped shooting off spells, favouring to stumble and almost faint thanks to Hermione's hex. Lucius was still going strong, and Hermione was having trouble blocking his spells from her position on the ground. Thankfully, a nearby curse from Harry and Voldemort's battle flew in Lucius' direction, hitting the man unawares in the cheek. The curse splattered through one cheek and out the other, killing the man instantly and reducing chiselled features to collapsed, bloody messes.

Ron barely avoided the first strike of Nagini, Voldemort's familiar and another Horcrux. The snake had struck while Ron was dealing with Wormtail, aiming right for Ron's neck area. The redhead had ducked and rolled to avoid Nagini's strike, and sent a Dark Slasher, nicking the snake's tail. Thankfully, Wormtail was unconscious, so Ron only had one thing to worry about. He weaved around the snake's next attack, and blasted a sizeable hole in the ground while trying to blast Nagini's head off.

Harry noticed that his and Voldemort's battle would soon be ending when his opponent actually mispronounced an incantation. Voldemort's entire face was a sickly green colour, and Harry guessed that the man was dying very painfully. In the old timeline, Harry had destroyed Voldemort piece by piece, and decided to do the same thing here, only keeping the Dark Lord alive long enough so that the cup Horcrux could be retrieved. A well aimed Bone-Crushing Curse destroyed Voldemort's left shoulder, and Harry was very surprised when the entire arm actually fell off like a diseased appendage.

Hermione was fairing a little better now that Lucius was dead, and her other opponent was dazed and confused. She used another Blasting Curse on the same grave as before, and took aim at Bella's feet. She was about to use a Tripping Hex when the Death Eater's robes billowed in a cold wind. Hermione spotted a glint of gold, and took aim:

"_Accio!_"

A golden cup zoomed out of Bella's robes, and the Death Eater finally fell to the ground and dropped her wand. Hermione intercepted the cup in mid-summon and levitated it carefully, before Banishing Bella to the nearby hole that she dug with Exploding and Blasting Curses. Bella collapsed into the open grave with a 'thud', and Hermione conjured another murder of crows. The crows attacked Bella while she was stuck in the hole and wandless. The insane Lestrange woman died minutes later of blood loss and various other injuries.

Ron cried out in pain as Nagini finally sunk her fangs into his ankle, digging in further with each second. Thinking fast and ignoring the numb feeling in his foot and the blood flowing, Ron fell to the ground and took aim at his leg with his wand. Nagini's eyes widened and she dug in her fangs further.

"_Diffindo!_"

His foot severed off upon contact with the spell, surprising the snake Horcrux. Nagini was still holding Ron's foot in her mouth, and tried to retract as quick as she could. She was too late, as Ron had venomously and powerfully blasted the snake with a Blasting Curse. The snake's mouth exploded in a mess, and the shockwave travelled, splitting the snake's body in two. Ron sighed and collapsed into the dirt a little bit more, before rummaging his pockets for some anti-venom to Nagini's bite.

Harry's well aimed Reductor Curse destroyed Voldemort's left foot, as the dismemberment and literal piece by piece destruction of Voldemort took place. The bad man had lost an ear, had been scalped, lost an arm and one of his fingers. Now with the foot gone, he was at a serious disadvantage when Harry's next spell sailed towards his wand hand.

"_Expelliarmus_!"

The Disarmer plucked Voldemort's wand from his hand, and Harry smirked at the Dark Lord's look of shock. He Summoned the nearby cauldron, and Banished Tom Riddle into the depths of the man-sized cauldron.

"Harry Potter!" he hissed.

Harry smirked. "Tom."

Voldemort wheezed out a cold laugh. "I admire your skills Potter. You have power, you have cunning, you and I can get so far! Harry, I can help you in ways you can never imagine, give you power you can only dream of! Think about it!"

"No," Harry said flatly. "No way José. No chance Lance. Nyet. Nada. No fucking way will I become your servant, or become you."

Voldemort glared at him, and Harry snarled out:

"You've fucked me over a lot Tom. Yes, I hate you more than Dumbledore, who manipulated my life twice over and tried to take away someone I love. Yes, I hate you more than Snape, Bella, Lucius, or Wormtail. Your inner circle Death Eaters are now dead, or imprisoned. Do you want to see for yourself?"

Harry looked into the monster's eyes, and hit him with a bout of Legilimency that implanted images in the other person's head. Harry showed the Dark Lord the deaths of all his top Death Eaters, twice. The ones from the old timeline and the deaths in the new timeline. Harry hadn't seen Lucius' or Bella's deaths, but a quick look in his periphery showed him that Hermione was still alive and the other two weren't around. Hence, Bella and Lucius were probably deadsies.

Upon retreating from Voldemort's mind, Harry continued talking. "You killed James and Lily Potter, and that was enough for my revenge. And no, I won't list of the friends you killed back in my old timeline. I won't make you suffer any further, I already did that in Serenity Valley. Piece by piece, soul, mind, magic and body, I destroyed you. I defeated you. I won. You lost!"

With that, Harry transfigured the shocked Voldemort into stone, and conjured a lid to go over the cauldron. A few more spells bound the Dark Lord to the man-sized cauldron, and Harry breathed out a sigh of relief.

"So much for the plan," he muttered. He made his way over to Hermione, who was sitting up against Lucius Malfoy's body, looking rather tired.

"Hermione?"

Hermione nodded in reply and pointed to her left, eyes closed. "The cup. Bellatrix had the cup."

Harry looked to her left and sure enough, found the Hufflepuff cup/Horcrux of the Dark Lord. Ron was approaching the two now, hopping on one foot and levitating his other, Nagini's body and Wormtail in a cage with his wand. He smiled and dropped the snake on the ground next to Hufflepuff's cup.

"All done," he said proudly, sitting on Lucius' body. He picked up his foot and gestured to his leg. "Hermione, can you please?"

While Hermione reattached Ron's foot tiredly, Harry rummaged through Hermione's bag and found the diadem Horcrux in its depths. The diadem Horcrux had been locked in Hermione's trunk for the whole year, just in case the Trio would need it to hunt down more Horcruxes and use it to locate the others. They didn't need it anymore, and Harry levitated the crown with the snake body and the cup.

"There we are," Ron said, flexing his foot gingerly. "All Horcruxes accounted for. All Horcruxes in this current time anyway."

Harry produced two vials of Horcrux Killing Solution in Hermione's bag, and uncorked them both in a swift gesture. Without even waiting or saying something sentimental, Harry emptied the vials' contents on the Horcruxes. Within minutes, the vessels of Voldemort's soul became black puddles of some unknown viscous liquid.

"Where's Flightymort?" Ron asked, rubbing his foot.

"I never got that Flightymort joke," Harry said, not answering the question.

Ron laughed. "Don't you remember what Voldemort's name means? It's like 'flight from death' or something like that. I thought Flightymort was appropriate."

"Oh. Well, Flightymort's locked in a cauldron back there," Harry said, pointing vaguely to the cauldron in question.

"Sorry to interrupt," Hermione wheezed, clutching her chest. "I think I need to get to the Hospital Wing."

"Oh right," Ron said. He lifted himself up and shrunk Hermione's bag. He stuffed it in his pocket, and lifted Hermione up gently, levitating Wormtail's cage at the same time. He supported her in the walk back to the Triwizard Cup, while Harry took aim at the cauldron near Tom Riddle Sr's grave.

Harry muttered a quick incantation, and his spell hit true, striking the cauldron's base. Harry added a few more for good measure, and was mildly pleased to see the cauldron heat up and turn a shade of Killing Curse green. He turned to his friends with a small smile on his face.

"The graveyard is about to explode," he said matter-of-factly.

Ron and Hermione knew better than to argue or say anything, and grasped the Triwizard Cup along with Harry. Ron would've pointed out that Harry left Voldemort's wand lying on the ground, while Hermione would've asked what Harry did to make the graveyard explode. However, neither said anything.

The Portkey jerked the Golden Trio back to Hogwarts, and a whole bunch of questions would follow about Harry's disappearance. Ron and Hermione Disillusioned themselves and fled into the crowd, to let Harry handle it all.

Harry was mildly annoyed that his friends would leave him, clutching Wormtail's cage and surrounded by teachers and worried students. He caught a glimpse of Sirius, Penny, Remus and Tonks in the crowd, and nodded to them triumphantly.

..::..--.--..::..

The citizens of Little Hangleton were shocked at the massive explosion that rocked their town late at night on June 24th.

"It was so terrifying," one concerned citizen told the news team that visited his town. "My whole house shook, and I ran outside immediately, thinking there was an earthquake. But then I saw a massive crater where our graveyard used to be!"

"Was it a meteor? Terrorist attack?" questioned the town's mayor. "I believe it was a sign from above, but don't quote me on that."

"I swear! The explosion was green! This sickly acid green colour that made me shudder to think about!" declared the frightful man who tended bar at the _Hanging Toenails_.

And the Muggle news networks flocked to the little town of Little Hangleton, wanting to get the first scoops on a supposed meteor strike/terrorist explosion/sign from above, but don't quote me on that.

..::..--.--..::..

Deep within the Department of Mysteries, Unspeakable Bode added a red tag to the prophecies labelled:

_S.P.T. to H.J.P._

_Dark Lord and Dark Lord's Servant (?)_

and

_S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D._

_Dark Lord and (?) Harry Potter_

He informed Croaker that Voldemort had been resurrected, as told by Sybil Trelawney's prophecy to Harry Potter a year ago. He then informed his boss that Voldemort had been subsequently killed by Harry Potter, again fulfilling a Sybil Trelawney special. Croaker nodded and dismissed his subordinate, thankful to have the Voldemort problem taken care of for now.

..::..--.--..::..

Harry's story was pretty foolproof in the end. As a minor, he refused to take Veritaserum or show Pensieve memories, but he explained to Amelia Bones and 'Dumbledore' that the Cup was a Portkey to some graveyard. Being that the Headmaster was Harry's godfather in disguise, the story was easily verified because the great Albus Dumbledore said it was true.

He explained that Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange were there, as was Peter Pettigrew. He told a harrowing tale of the Death Eaters planning to kill him, and him fighting back and capturing Pettigrew, He told them all how he escaped without a serious scratch, playing up several of the details shamelessly.

Amelia happily gave Wormtail over to the Aurors, and a trial was scheduled later in the week. She awarded Harry one thousand Galleons as Triwizard winnings, and hinted that he would receive an Order of Merlin, Second Class, for taking care of Pettigrew and surviving such an ordeal.

Mad-Eye Moody returned home, having told the world all about his being locked in a trunk for the school year, and how he was impersonated by a Death Eater. Crouch Jr's body was found in the maze, so Moody's story was somewhat confirmed. However, seeing as how the imposter was dead, it was hard to prove it all, and the sceptics out there saw Moody as an even more crazy man.

Hermione and Ron were currently in the Hospital Wing, having concocted a story about accidentally hexing each other to get some serious medical attention instead of their own services. Ron's foot was fixed, as was Hermione's busted chest, after spending two days in bed. Even though Madam Pomfrey ordered them to have bed rest separately, they broke her rule on the first night.

..::..--.--..::..

The Wizengamot tried and convicted Wormtail, the stuffy old members of the court demanding that Wormtail get the Dementor's Kiss. He did, and the rat's carcass was given to the Unspeakables for some kind of science procedure.

Sirius Black was officially freed, and 'officially' came back from the British Virgin Islands, appearing in public once or twice and enjoying the positive attention. Of course, Penelope Clearwater 'officially' came back to Britain, and got quite the chewing out from Minister Bones for leaving as long as she did. However, Bones was quick to offer Penny her job back. Penny agreed, on the condition she didn't have to work with Percy Weasley.

The world was saddened when Albus Dumbledore seemingly died on a heart attack in early July. Truthfully, Harry had performed an Accelerated Heart Curse, speeding up the real Dumbledore's heart until it stopped beating. The old man was found dead in his quarters, and his 'certified' nurse told the world of his ill health.

"It was just his time to go," she told the Ministry and the _Prophet_.

So, after Dumbledore's circus of a funeral, McGonagall was appointed Headmistress, and she asked Remus to stay on as Potions Professor. Against the Headmistress' better judgement, she asked Sirius to fill the Defence Against the Dark Arts job. Sirius, with nothing better to do now that Penny was working with Amelia Bones again, agreed.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Aimee, Sirius, Remus, Tonks and Penny gathered in Lovegood Getaway after Dumbledore's funeral to celebrate Sirius' appointment to the DADA job. Left unmentioned was the celebration that Dumbledore was not a problem anymore, and Harry happily snapped the old man's wand he had stolen after killing him and placed the pieces on the mantel next to Snape's.

"Congratulations, Sirius. I'm sure you'll be as good as Remus was," Aimee said, giving her boyfriend's godfather a brief hug. "Why is it just the eight of us here?"

Harry and Ron shared a look, and Harry nodded. Ron waved his wand, and a large white banner appeared on the wall above the fireplace. As promised, it read: 'Welcome to the club, Aimee Moon!' in large black letters.

"You actually bought the banner?" Hermione said, shocked.

"Yep," Ron said, enchanting the banner to flash random colours. "We haven't got the money from our Irish friend though. He's in hiding, I think."

"Harry?" Aimee asked, looking at the banner. "What's this about?"

Harry guided her down to a seat, and pointed to the Pensieve, sitting on the floor next to several bottles of Firewhisky.

"I have something big to tell you," he said, opening a Firewhisky bottle and activating the Pensieve with a wave of his wand. "Show you, actually."

Five hours later, Harry and Aimee were the only ones left in the living room, talking quietly about what Harry revealed to her. The memory reel was a lot like the previous ones shown to Sirius, Remus and Tonks, but Harry added a few extras at Aimee's request. The couple had watched some of the more personal problems of Harry's former and present life, and some emotional bonding occurred.

"Wow," Aimee said, holding Harry close, as if worried he would go off and fight Voldemort again. "You killed Him... twice."

"I did," Harry said simply, taking a sip from the Firewhisky. "And I'm so freaking ecstatic to have it all off my chest."

Aimee snuggled closer to Harry, her head resting on his chest. "But what about Voldemort's eighth Horcrux? The one that'll appear at Serenity Valley?"

"That's a problem for the future Aimee," Harry said determinedly. "Hermione will brew the Horcrux Killing Solution every six months, and be ready for it. No more Voldemort. For good. Forever. Hopefully..."

"Nothing left to do with yourself," Aimee joked.

"Oh, I have something in mind. And it involves you."

Aimee smiled coyly. "And you're technically 25 years old? Dirty old man, aren't you?"

Harry returned the smile and laughed a little. "Hey, let's ignore that part. We're rather great together, and I'm not much with relationships am I? Hence, you could say I'm basically 18 or so in relationship mentality, so its not that big of a difference."

"I know..."

"That and I'm going to start thinking of the previous timeline as a very bad dream," Harry added. "Denial and all that. Ron and Hermione are more than happy to forget the hell we went through, but no memory charms. While the war sucked, it brought the Golden Trio together, and it will probably impact on the rest of our friendship."

The couple were silent for a few moments, collecting themselves. Aimee was a little worried that she wouldn't be able to help Harry out by being supportive, while Harry was wondering if he burdened her too much. Aimee was just 15 in all ways, while Harry was slightly older in most ways. Harry acted first, grasping Aimee's hand and smiling.

"You know that I won't hold it against you for bailing out."

Aimee laughed, long and hard. All previous worries forgotten, she leaned in and gave Harry a light kiss. When she pulled back, she started to shake her head.

"Don't be stupid," she said softly.

Harry nodded and said nothing. Aimee quickly glanced at her watch and then smiled.

"So, Harry, shall I Floo my father and tell him I will be spending the night?"

Harry's grin could've been seen from quite a distance, if one were to look really closely from that distance. He led Aimee up the stairs, and clothes became optional by the time they were outside Harry's bedroom door. Harry quickly detoured to the Potions Lab to fetch a Contraceptive Potion, before heading into the bedroom he and Aimee would share for most of the summer.

..::..--.--..::..

As the summer ended, Harry and Ron finally tracked down their Irish friend, who was hiding out in the Caribbean. The Irishman was living in a small hotel room, and had just come out the shower when he spotted two of his angry customers. They both had fake smiles plastered to their faces, and the Irishman recoiled and subconsciously looked at his foot. The damage done by Harry and later Ron had left the Irishman with only three of his original toes, the others being magical replacements.

"Mikey!" Harry and Ron greeted, wands pointed at the Irishman's chest.

"Harry... Ron..." stuttered the Irishman. "Please... you gotta believe me. I have your money, I'm just trying to... I'm on holiday!"

Ron moved to the bed and found a duffel bag underneath it. "On holiday with all of our money? Mikey, you wound me."

The Irishman paled. "Please... I have a wife and two children... you can't kill me."

"You don't have children, and your wife left you for another woman," Harry pointed out.

"Okay! I don't have any kids and my wife's a bitch, but please... no more toes. Please."

"Hmmm...." Harry said, drawing out the 'mmm'. "No more toes."

"Harry, all our money's in here," Ron said, gesturing to the duffel bag.

"No toes... I beg you," the Irishman pleaded.

Harry smiled viciously. "I want your oath that you'll never steal from us again, and I won't kill you or take your toes. Deal?"

The Irishman slowly drew his wand from his pocket and made the oath: "I, Michael Samuel Jonathan Friend, will never steal from Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, or any of their associates. I solemnly swear on my magic."

"And I, Harry James Potter, do vow to not kill Micheal S.J. Friend, or to remove his toes. I solemnly swear on my magic."

Mr Friend let out a sigh of relief. "Pleasure doing business!"

"Hey Harry," Ron said, grinning. "Did that oath say anything about removing fingers?"

Ten minutes later, Harry and Ron were in the hotel's lobby, standing in line at a gift shop. The other patrons of the shop were looking at the two men rather wearily. Harry did nothing to hide the blood on his pants, while Ron shifted his arms so no one saw the splatter on his shirt.

"I'm sorry I cut off Mr Friend's fingers," Harry said, not sounding sorry at all. He picked an item of a nearby shelf and smiled. "Do you think Aimee will like this coconut bikini as much as I will?"

..::..--.--..::..

Harry and Ron arrived at the Lovegood Getaway an hour after meeting their Irish friend, having detoured to enjoy the beach for a few moments. The duo dropped their souvenir bags in the kitchen and didn't find anyone in the immediate area. Harry headed upstairs to his room to see Aimee, while Ron detoured to Hermione's Lab.

"Hermione?" the redhead asked. The girl in question was working on a mysterious purple potion, and Ron guessed it was some kind of experimental healing draught. Hermione waved him over and added some newt tail to her potion.

"Did you find Michael?" Hermione said, still not looking up.

Ron grinned. "Yeah we got the money too. What are you working on here?"

Hermione never got the chance to reply, as Harry had barged into the room, holding a fist-sized rock. The normally purple rock was flashing red and vibrating softly. To the Trio, the rock flashing and vibrating meant one thing.

Voldemort's eighth and last Horcrux had arrived.

"Problem!" Harry exclaimed, flinging the rock to Hermione. She caught it clumsily, and Vanished her potion quickly.

"Problem..." she murmured. She passed the rock to Ron, and went over to her potion shelves. While she browsed, Ron studied the rock.

"Voldemort's back?" he asked. Harry nodded, and started to walk out of the room.

"I'm going to get Aimee!" he exclaimed. By now, Hermione had found a vial of Horcrux Killing Solution, and she pocketed it.

"Let's go!"

Five minutes later, Ron and Hermione appeared at the outskirts of Serenity Valley, where Hermione had hidden her detection stones a year ago. Harry and Aimee hadn't arrived yet, but Ron and Hermione paid that no mind. The couple found Voldemort's last Horcrux lying in a small black crater.

Ron sniffed the air. "Smells off around here."

"Wouldn't that have something to do with the piece of evil soul two feet away from you?" Hermione asked scathingly. "Where's Harry?"

The teen in question appeared a few metres from the crater, Aimee at his arm. Ron and Hermione both noticed their slightly ruffled appearances, and Aimee wearing a thick robe to cover what she was wearing underneath.

Ron chortled, "She liked the bikini then?"

Harry nodded, and Hermione rolled her eyes. For her part, Aimee just shrugged and indicated to Voldemort's Horcrux.

"Is that it?" she said. Harry, Ron and Hermione approached the vessel of Voldemort's soul, and Aimee walked a little more cautiously. However, she didn't know what the Horcrux meant to the Trio.

"The ring," Harry muttered, examining the vessel without touching it. Voldemort's Horcrux was a small golden hoop on a thick chain. Harry, Ron and Hermione all knew it as Bill Weasley's wedding ring.

In the old timeline, young Bill Weasley happily married Fleur Delacour and the two were basically leadership of the Order of the Phoenix following Moody's death. Voldemort himself attacked and killed the couple at their cottage sometime after the Battle of Hogwarts. Their deaths spurred the end of the Order, and the Trio all saw the significance of taking Bill's ring and making it a Horcrux. Voldemort's triumph over the Order and the Ministry were hand in hand, and the Dark Lord was one for sentimentality apparently.

"What an asshole," Harry said candidly. "Hermione, destroy the Horcrux, if you'd please."

Hermione nodded, and produced the vial of Killing Solution from her robes. She was about to uncork it when Aimee held a hand out.

"Can I do it? I never got a chance to destroy a Horcrux... and Voldemort did destroy my hometown to make this thing."

Harry smiled and took the vial from Hermione. Aimee took the vial and removed the cork. She knelt down and was about to pour the Solution on the ring when five distorted voices called out:

"Wait!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione pivoted quickly and had wands in hand, pointed at five figures in dark cloaks standing behind them. As usual, the Unspeakables were standing in a line, and four of them were slightly taller than a fifth one. There was no way to tell, but the Trio assumed that these five were the same Unspeakables they last encountered in May.

Aimee blushed and muttered, "Forgot to bring my wand..."

"How did they find out so quickly?" Ron asked.

Hermione shook her head. "They leeched onto my stones, probably. You know, so they would find out as soon as I did. Vultures."

"Unspeakables," Harry greeted. "How are things?"

"We can't talk about that, Mr Potter," said the middle Unspeakable. "But we can tell you that destroying Voldemort's Horcrux without studying it further would not be a good idea."

Harry sighed. "Why the fuck would we hand it over to you?"

The far right Unspeakable spoke up, "Mr Potter, it was an amazing feat that Voldemort was able to create the Horcrux initially. Many years of testing told us that making more than seven Horcruxes was impossible."

"Improbable," Hermione interjected.

The Unspeakable glared at her underneath his cloak. "Improbable then. Voldemort sacrificed this town to power himself up, correct? To create the Horcrux, he killed a lot of people, channelling all kinds of magic we don't fully understand. The next thing he did was send the Horcrux back in time."

"We know," Ron said. "Remember, we went back in time to stop it?"

"Anyway," said the second from right Unspeakable, ignoring Ron, "We came to the conclusion that Voldemort must of created a new ritual to create the Horcrux and send it back in time! We need to study it and find out how he did it! We have to have the Horcrux and find out its secrets."

"No you don't," Harry argued. He raised his wand a little higher and pointed it at the middle Unspeakable. "And we're not on Unspeakable territory anymore, kids. We're in Serenity Valley, a nice little town in the countryside here. Also, the local pub makes a good fish and chips."

"Mr Potter..."

"Stuff it! We're not letting you get the Horcrux!"

The far left Unspeakable started to mutter to himself, "Serenity Valley..."

"Mr Potter, can you see reason? The Horcrux is a valuable object to study!"

"Fuck off!"

"Harry, don't anger them further..."

"Hermione!"

"Listen to the harlot, Potter. Hand it over!"

"Who is he calling her a harlot?"

"Fuck off!"

"That's it!" said the far left Unspeakable suddenly. All arguments ceased between the Trio and the Unspeakables. "End in Serenity... that's what the prophecy talked about!"

"Prophecy?" eight voices asked.

The Unspeakable shook his head. "After our last encounter, I spoke to the prophecy archivist Bode. He told me of one that was made the night you three came back in time. A Sybil Trelawney special."

"Wait - Hermione was right?" Harry turned to his bushy-haired friend. "Our sacrifice was a prophecy being made about us? What did it say?"

"You don't need to know that," said the Unspeakable.

Harry gave them an annoyed look. "Whatever! Aimee, can you please tip the potion on Voldemort's soul piece before these vultures get to it?"

"Don't do it!" shouted the second from left Unspeakable.

"We must stop her!" exclaimed the middle Unspeakable.

"No!" declared the second from right Unspeakable.

"_Avada_-"

The far right Unspeakable never got to finish his/her sentence, as the far left Unspeakable had deftly disarmed the cloaked figure and bound his/her hands together with a quick spell. Harry saw red at the Unspeakable's near use of a Killing Curse, and he sent a quick Bone-Breaking Curse at the cloaked figure's waist. The Unspeakable collapsed to the ground and cried out in pain, and three of the Unspeakables all pointed their wands at Harry.

The far left Unspeakable rolled his eyes under his cloak, and approached his fallen co-worker. He/she activated some kind of hidden Portkey, and the injured cloaked figure disappeared in a blue flash.

"Croaker?" one of the Unspeakables asked.

Croaker shook his head. "Mr Pink will be fine."

"Good," said the middle Unspeakable. He/she gestured to the Trio and Aimee. "Can we dispose of them?"

"No," Croaker said, shaking his head. "I'm pulling rank. Mr Orange, Mr Blonde and Miss White, go back to the office and I'll take care of things here."

The other three Unspeakables, presumably the Mr Orange, Mr Blonde and Miss White, all nodded and Apparated off with a single 'pop'. Harry involuntarily shivered at the three disappearing at once. Croaker picked up the discarded wand from the far right Unspeakable and sighed.

"Do it," he said. "Destroy the Horcrux. The prophecy is better off to be fulfilled than not. And we'll figure out how Voldemort did it. Trust us on that."

Hermione said, "Are you sure?" the exact moment Harry cried to Aimee, "Do it!"

The Golden Trio and Unspeakable Croaker watched as Aimee knelt down and emptied the entire vial of the Horcrux Killing Solution on Bill Weasley's wedding ring and chain. The ring and chain oozed and became a gooey black puddle, not unlike every other Horcrux upon contact with the Killing Solution. No spirits came flying out of the Horcrux; no echoing laughter from a disembodied Voldemort; no nothing.

Only Croaker was disappointed about things turned out. "I wish I could of studied it," he said.

Hermione sighed. "If you had found it first, would you have taken it?"

Croaker nodded. "In a hearbeat. If we found it before you three did, we would of taken it for study."

Aimee discarded the vial in the crater left by Voldemort's Horcrux, and walked over to Harry. He put an arm around her and drew her in for a long hug. Voldemort was dead for good this time, and he couldn't be happier that things worked out so well when he travelled back in time. The girl at his side was a good example of things working out well. Remembering what he and Aimee were up to before arriving at Serenity Valley, he smiled. Definitely worked out well.

"What now?" Harry asked the Unspeakable.

Croaker spent a minute or so thinking it over. Internally, he was wondering why he let them destroy the Horcrux in the first place. "I'm going to go back and add a red tag to the third prophecy involving the Voldemort. And you'll go back to your lives."

"Sounds like fun," Ron said. Harry, Aimee and Hermione all nodded in agreement.

Unspeakable Croaker turned around and walked off into the darkness, but not before getting in one last parting shot:

"No more time travel!"

..::..--.--..::..

End of Chapter 6. Please proceed to the Epilogue...

..::..--.--..::..

..::..--.--..::..

Epilogue :: The Future Years

..::..--.--..::..

The next several years were rather eventful for the key players in this little story.

Instead of fighting a war, the Golden Trio stayed in school, even though most of the classes were hilariously effortless.

In their fifth year, Harry, Aimee and Hermione gained positions as Prefects, and Ron joined the Gryffindor Quidditch Team as Keeper. Fred and George decided not to return to school for their final year, thanks to Harry and Ron's funding the previous year. Even with them gone, the Gryffindor Team won the year's cup, mostly because the other teams didn't have Harry as Seeker.

Sirius proved to be an excellent teacher, and sometimes recruited the Trio as teaching aides in his other classes. The Trio would duel each other and seriously freak out the other students with the amount of power involved. As such, they were probably the best DADA students in the whole school, though not many knew how they got so good.

At the end of the school year, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Aimee sat their OWLs, and a little bit of cheating (Thank you, Pensieve memories) ensured they all got top marks. Not as top to attract attention, but the four were in the top ten of their year by far.

Wedding bells were ringing during the summer, as Remus and Tonks tied the knot after four months of wearing Remus down until he relented. Ted and Andromeda Tonks were happy to give away their daughter to the werewolf, and Sirius got Tonks a deluxe wedding gift, by officially reinstating her family on the Black Family Tree and giving Remus and Tonks the Black Family mansion.

Remus and Tonks moved into Grimmauld Place a month after their honeymoon. The first thing the new married couple did was destroy the wall with Walburga Black's portrait on it, and hire Winky the house-elf to clean the place up and add a few new coats of paint. Remus' grey and boring style clashed brilliantly with Tonks' bright colours, and the house never looked less like a Dark family home.

Before leaving for Hogwarts and his sixth year, Harry reluctantly met his girlfriend's parents. Claude Moon and his wife Laura were hospitable to their daughter's boyfriend, until the story of how Harry and Aimee met came forth. While Harry enjoyed Claude going off, he didn't enjoy it being directed at him. A week later, the Moon parents were laughing it off, and Harry would chuckle along with them, if a bit cautiously.

Sixth year at Hogwarts brought nothing new to the table. Routine, routine and more routine. The Ministry however, managed to capture the in-hiding Death Eaters Gibbon and Rowle, who were locked in Azkaban by Christmas.

In the summer, Bill and Fleur got married, and Tonks announced she was pregnant. Headmistress McGonagall handed Harry the Head Boy badge at Bill and Fleur's wedding reception, leaving Harry quite shocked. Hermione got the Head Girl badge, after reassuring the Headmistress that she wouldn't let her down.

It was early November when McGonagall caught her Head Girl in a broom cupboard with Ron, but she wasn't punished too much. During the gang's seventh and final year, they all decided on future careers, or lack of. Hermione was a shoe-in for any teaching position, Harry and Ron could pass the Auror exams, and Aimee fancied being a Curse Breaker.

However, the great plan went downhill when Harry decided to follow Aimee into Curse Breaking, also working as a freelance bounty hunter with Ron in his spare time. Ron joined the Chudley Cannons, and brought them from the bottom of the barrel to about midway up in the barrel. Hermione dove into spell research, working in the Ministry and 'invented' several useful spells by using her future knowledge of war-related spells.

The other Weasleys lived their lives to the fullest, as you would expect. Fred and George's joke shop was a cash cow that never stopped bleeding, Charlie was head of one of his dragon reserves, Percy still held Crouch's position and was dating a woman named Audrey, and Ginny had joined the Hitwizard Squad.

Remus and Tonks had their first child in 1998, and Sirius and Harry flipped a coin to decide who was godfather. Unfortunately, the coin landed on its side, and a three hour argument over who was godfather ensued. Remus, still in shock about being a father, chose Ron as godfather to baby James Theodore, or JT.

Sirius and Penelope got married in the winter of 1999, after Penny decided it was about time she tamed the untameable Sirius. She was Amelia Bones' Junior Assistant, and quite liked her job, especially with someone level-headed as Bones in charge. Bones never went out of her way to shake the wizarding world up, but she did a good job at stopping any insurgence or Death Eater activity.

Ron and Hermione married in 2000, with Harry and Aimee as their best man and maid of honour. It was probably the biggest Weasley wedding, mostly because of the couple's immense wealth. While Harry and Aimee raided tombs, Ron had killed a Dark Lord over in Australia, filling his vault in Gringotts to the brim. Combined with Hermione's spell inventions, the couple were rich enough to buy a nice cottage in Serenity Valley, nicknamed the Burrowless Burrow.

Harry and Aimee, after deep sea diving for treasure, decided to forego all the pomp of a wedding and eloped at a small church in Godric's Hollow in 2001. Ron and Hermione were brought in to witness the tiny ceremony, presided by an irate priest who didn't approve of young love. It was a fun time for all. However, the Moon family was a little less inclined to go along with it, and Harry and Aimee had a real ceremony in 2002. That was a fun time too, and the happy couple wondered why they decided to skip the wedding in the first place.

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June 3rd, 2004

Fourteen rows of plain brown bricks made up the wall in front of Harry Potter. The bottom three rows, a smattering of the next six, and a little of the top row were covered in the blood of former Moonfang Fighter Theodore Nott.

Former, meaning that Harry and Ron Weasley's old classmate was now glassy-eyed and cold, slowly smelling up the small townhouse he was found living/hiding in. Theo's arm was lying ten inches away from his body, the result of a stray curse that Ron 'accidentally' hit the man with as he was dying. A few more well placed spells, and Theo was slumped against the plain brown brick wall with fourteen rows of bricks, intestines spilling out onto the floor.

The killers were a few feet away from the body, Theo's blood pooling at their feet.

"How much is he worth?" Ron asked, looking not the slightest bit queasy. His partner-in-crime Harry was looking mildly uninterested at the slowly drying blood on his robes.

"Fifteen thousand Galleons," he said simply. "He was the last one we knew of..."

Ron snorted. "Don't get all sentimental on me Harry. We don't have any alcohol here to celebrate."

Harry laughed, before gesturing at Nott's body. "The Americans won't be happy he isn't breathing..."

"That's their problem," Ron replied candidly. "He fought back."

"He did, didn't he?" Harry said, sheathing his wand. "The Moonfangs are an American problem, and we're sent in to kill a British man."

The two men left the townhouse, and breathed in the night air outside.

"I can't believe Sirius is going to be a father," Ron said, as the two walked over to their brooms. "I mean, he's still a bit of child himself."

Harry snorted. "He's how old now? Let him settle down, that's what I say. And I got dibs on godfather. No coin flipping this time."

Ron smiled at the thought of his own godson. "Best coin toss ever."

"Too bad Nott was found so easily," Harry said, mounting his broom. "Weren't you hoping to avoid your own child? The little menace you named Harrison?"

Ron shrugged. "The few days away are fine enough. Hermione would kill me otherwise."

Harry laughed. "That's why we're not having kids for a few more years. Aimee and I just love tomb raiding too much."

Ron mounted his own broom, and the two men flew off into the night sky.

"Hey Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you get any déjà vu back in that townhouse? Or was that just me?"

"It was probably just you."

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_Successfully Concluded!_

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There's the end of this story folks! Thanks to all that reviewed, put my story in favourites or on alert, or just read it and haven't done anything further. Thanks to JK Rowling for creating a very diverse universe that so many people can play with.

However, I'm not done with this series. Indeed, I could finish the story here, but I liked the concept of the Trio travelling back in time too much to settle with just To End in Serenity. So, there's a very good chance that I'll be writing what I call an 'AU of an AU' story, in which the Trio go back in time to 1994, but Voldemort's Horcrux has already arrived. A whole bunch of crazy things happen, and it's a rather different story than this one. No Triwizard Tournaments, Voldemort's already been resurrected, and there might be a different character interaction between Harry and Dumbledore. But, I'll still include Aimee as Harry's other half in this fic. I like writing her!

So, without further adieu, I'm announcing **To End in Tranquility**. Coming soon to this site, but I don't know when. Just keep an eye out for Tranquility or any other stories I write, and I hope you take the time to read them too!

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